The Long Way Home
by Inkuma the Bewear
Summary: [NaNoWriMo 2019] Lost out in the open miles away from their home, Charles, Cliff, Geo, and Walt set out to embark on a journey to find their way back to the Loud House. Meanwhile, the Louds help ensure their safe return and try to cope without them.
1. The Preparation

**A/N: Hello to you all. For those of you wondering, I'm going to be doing a little something completely different for the first time as an author. I've decided to participate in this year's National Novel Writer's Month. Instead of just dishing out weekly stories from my standalone series, "Life of Pets", I'll try and work in a 50,000 word story along with it. I don't know if I'll be able to pull this off but I have been talked into participating and encouraged by JimsPillow, Omega Ultra, and LoudAutomata16. The prompt of this fic was given to me by Creshosk. Without further ado, I hope you guys enjoy this huge journey I'm about to embark on. I really hope I'll be able to leave a good impression.**

**Oh also, you're free to R&R if you'd like!**

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Chapter I: The Preparation

It was just another peaceful morning, just like every other morning. The chilling, autumn atmosphere befell the great town of Royal Woods. What with warm-colored skies with the sounds of chirping birds, there wasn't any other morning dawn like this one.

Everyone in the house had such a good feeling about this particular day. Today was the day the entire Loud family gets to go on that vacation trip they've been looking forward to for years. One by one, they all arose from their bed as their alarm clocks simultaneously went off at seven o'clock sharp. An entitled yawn from everyone later, the whole family enthusiastically spat "Today's the day!"

Having just three hours to get everything ready for their big day, they all rushed to the kitchen to make themselves some breakfast. They wouldn't dare begin something as huge as this on such an empty, growling stomach. Taking turns grabbing their breakfast, the sibling all emerged into a rather exciting conversation.

"Dudes, can you guys believe this?" Luna said, picking up her piece of toast.

"I know! It's all happening so fast!" Lincoln said.

"We're finally going on that cruise we've been dreaming about for years!" Lola said.

Land held her hands together. "And best of all, we get to bring the pets along for the ride!"

As the dirty twin herself, revealed an innocent smile, the eldest sibling stepped next to her. "As long as they're literally on their best behavior." she reminded.

Confusion filled Lana. Curious enough, she asked a question out of sincerity. "Well, what's the worst they could do? Ruin our vacation for the rest of us?" She threw her hand down. "I doubt that."

"Wait. Wasn't Charles the reason why we got banned from the beach for months?" Lynn scratched her head.

"That was one heck of a messy day," Luan chuckled as everyone paid mind to their father figure. Knowing how experimental his dishes can be, his food has sent his children to the bathrooms before.

Confused, Lynn Sr. scratched his head. "Well, I…"

The siblings' eyebrows raised a hair, causing their father to shake. As his nerves slowly overcame him, he had no choice. Cracked under pressure, he inevitably caved. "Okay you guys, mark my words. One of these days, my hot dishes will be a great pleasure to each and every one of you in this family. Believe that!"

With confused looks painted on everyone's face, the middle child of all the people broke the awkward silence.

"Okay then," Lincoln resumed eating his food.

"Also, you guys need to stop feeding Charles with what I've been cooking up. So part of that blame belongs to you guys!"

The tables have turned. They did realize that it wasn't the dog's fault that caused the incident. They didn't even know it was going to happen, but unfortunately, it did. When the sisters geared up to complain, Lynn Sr. had to end the argument before it even started. "Ah-ah! And please, don't say anything back, or else we can forget about that cruise!"

Not willing to argue now, everyone had to drop the subject. They felt that it's only better to just bite down on their moist tongues and deal with it. Nothing in the world was worth throwing away something so special that would have meant something to all of them.

Lynn Sr. had to reassure something for a bit. "Now, It doesn't kill you guys to be honest for once. If you really don't like my meals, you could've just told me upfront." The father's anxiety grew more noticeable as he continued to spew his words. "I'm a man! I-I can take any kind of criticism!"

"Not to be rude father," Lisa sincerely interrupted. "...but I can honestly decipher that this statement of yours isn't exactly truthful. I've been paying close attention to any sudden movements your hands make. The way you're vigorously moving them around shows that you may be a tiny bit insecure about yourself."

Lynn Sr. was devastated. He knew that she was right. It was hard for him trying not to show any emotions in front of his children. The more he tried to fight it off, weakness began to expand as the siblings took note of it.

Breaking down into tears, the father hid his face. "I can't believe this," he sniffled. "Every time, just every dang time!" His wife was there to comfort him at such times as this.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, honey." Rita patted him on the back. "I'm sure something like that has happened to everybody in one way or another."

"Like Lori with her selfies trying to beat Carol with likes?" Lynn pointed, her left arm on her hip.

Crossing her arms, Lori looked away as if she took offense. "That's different!"

The teenage athlete chuckled before her sarcasm was present. "Sure it is."

"Guys, can we just talk about the spa services and all the grapes they're going to offer for us?" Leni said enthusiastically.

"I can't wait for that mud mask treatment," Lana smiled effortlessly.

"And the massages," Lincoln dragged down his face.

"Mani-pedis," Lola motioned her fingers.

"Kids, we get it," Rita interrupted. "It's everything you want and more. I really doubt that every other cruise doesn't do the same thing."

A small beat placed in between, her statement didn't seem to matter to anybody. "Whatevs, we're going on a cruise!" Lola shouted.

Once again, the family had chattered amongst themselves. Passion and positivity quickly overcame them as they chowed down on their breakfast. The bacon was slightly well done with toasts heated to a golden brown. Nutrition filled each and every one of them up after each and every bite. It was that good to them.

When just about everyone was about halfway done with their food, the family dog of the bunch, Charles, entered through the doggy door to the kitchen. Two barks in and a tail wag later, the first attention he always gets is the filth kid. Just seeing the little pup in her peripheral view would put a smile on her face every time.

"Charles! There you are!" Lana happily said, hugging the animal with all her might. As the pup panted with saliva dripping down from his tongue, she set him down and offered him her leftovers. "Here you are boy, I saved you the best for last."

Fixated on the strips of bacon Lana didn't eat herself, Charles' eyes widened up just an inch. Licking his lips, the dog show no hesitance, putting his mouth to work on her breakfast meat.

Something was missing from all of this. One of the members started to wonder about the whereabouts of Cliff, Geo, and Walt. Not long after, before Lincoln spoke out with a mouth full, they arrived in the same interior, one by one. A meow, a chatter and an annoyed chirp in, the middle child decided to spill his words anyway.

"There's the other pets." Lincoln mumbled, before he gulped his food. "I was wondering where they were."

Cliff irritably rolled his eyes. It was almost like he's head that line several times before with almost the same result. With a low growl in his stomach, the cat went to his bowl and chowed down on his food. In a hastily manner, the feline took his time. He wasn't a messy slob like Charles, who would scarf down anything he can to his gullet.

Geo and Walt on the other hand, were impatient with their grub. If they were to wait any longer, they could just go off on someone at any second. Luan, noticing the grumpy expressions on the bird and the hamster's face, went to the cabinet to solve that problem in a jiffy. "Hold on you two," she said. She opened it up, grabbed the can of treats, and lightly threw it to the two pets. "You're in for a treat!" The jokester herself couldn't help but give out a chuckle for yet another tasteless pun. Immediately, she turned to her siblings as they expected two words from her. "Get it?"

"Sigh. The real question is, who didn't?" Lucy spoke up in her usual monotone self.

"Aw, don't be such a downer!" The comedian snapped her fingers. "I can tell that this trip is gonna be a real blast!"

Time was moving fast at this point. The siblings would have to hand it to Luan for making everyone's day go faster than before. Her bad joke may have fallen short for them, but at least it had each and everyone of them feel more encouraged about the trip.

Everyone was finished with breakfast. They had approximately two whole hours left before they hit the road. Of course, everyone had to take turns getting ready, never mind that there was only one bathroom in the house. Each one had to break their time limits to only ten minutes per sibling.

While everyone was getting ready, Lana and Lincoln had to take care of the animals. The family needed to pack lightly so there wouldn't be any extra charges for their stuff. Their only option was to have Charles, Cliff, Geo, and Walt all share just one cage.

The dog whined at her faithful companion. He didn't want to be locked up with barely any room to move around, and neither did the rest of the pets.

"I know you don't want to get in the cage," Lana uttered in complete sincerity. "But dad said to put all of you in here!"

Cliff hissed. He wasn't going to give up his freedom for a couple of hours without a fight. Thinking that this was a bad move on the filthy kid's part, the cat slowly backed away. It didn't take long for Geo and Walt to do the same. They were on the feline's side. Charles looked back and forth. He had no idea what was happening at the time being.

"Alright pets, we don't have time for this!" Lincoln cracked his knuckles. "If you pets aren't going to get in this cage, then we'll gladly do it for you."

The cat squinted his eyes halfway along with the rest of the pets. They dared the child to make the first move, including the feline beckoning him with his paw. Feeling invited, the child ran towards the animals, only for everyone to scatter around the room. Failure to capture one of them, anger filled him slowly.

The boy turned to Lana. "Get 'em!" he yelled. One by one, the pets dodged every attempt at the kids' grabs. Charles had the strange strength to knock Lana off her feet. Lincoln on the other hand, got into a ramble with the cat. The feline jumped on top of his head, scratching away like tomorrow didn't even exist. Lincoln's painful screams overpowered the house in a nanosecond.

Unintentionally, Cliff was thrown to the couch. He didn't like that, at all. What was with this sudden mistreatment? Nevertheless, the cat growled as Walt chased the boy down. Out of fear of getting pecked, Lincoln gunned it.

Lana was still in a pickle with Charles, pinning each other down. The kid was on top, then it was suddenly the other way around. Charles growled immensely as his dominance got the better of hers. What she didn't expect was his claws impaling her face. Despite that they weren't sharp to begin with, the nature tomboy herself let out a loud bark of her own. It startled Charles, as he's forced to back off slowly all while he whimpered.

When Lincoln was confident that the panting Walt wouldn't be able to catch him, Geo willingly intervened. Rolling into the boy's tracks, Lincoln stepped on his transparent ball. Quickly losing his balance, the kid inevitably fell directly on top of Lana.

The two humans were out of breath. Their pets surrounded them at every direction. Angered expressions were present all around. Lincoln had no idea what to do now, and so did Lana. Worst case scenario, the animals could straight up merk the defenseless duo. Knowing the pets from the deep depths of her heart, Lana would highly doubt they would do anything bad to her.

"What has Lisa been doing to our pets?" Lincoln unnervingly uttered, observing the angry creatures all around.

"Hey now," Lisa spat from the upstairs hallway. "Don't go throwing accusations around like that! That's not nice!"

"I have an idea," Lana said, giving out a sinister smile.

Quick to draw out a diversion, Lana flicked her hat off and teased the animals with a treat. "Here boys, you want 'em?"

Charles was quick to take notice, including a silent gasp. How he didn't know she had some on her earlier, nobody would ever know. Cliff drooled as Walt and Geo mimicked him. The dog panted all while his tail wagged. They could go for something like that anytime in the day.

With determination vanquishing her face, Lana threw the treats as they landed inside the cage. Only time would tell if they weren't intelligent enough to not go for the bait. Unfortunately, one by one, they all went inside the cage. Now was their chance before they jump to realization.

"Good boy!" Lana then hurriedly shifted to Lincoln and pointed at the cage. "Hurry! Shut it, Lincoln!"

With his steadfast mind, Lincoln rushed to the cage and locked the pets all in. Now finally realizing their capture, the animals quickly gave up and sadly surrender. They did it. Exhausted but proud simultaneously, the two Louds bumped fists.

"Can't believe this didn't take long at all!" Lincoln turned to Lana, rubbing down on his arm.

"Me neither, at least it wasn't the other way around like before." Lana said.

_The last time the duo had to wrassle with the pets, they were outwitted after Lincoln tripped and fell from stubbing his toe on the living room chair. Trying his best not to yell from the immensing pain, Charles bit down on his foot, dragging him into the cage alongside an exhausted Lana. After Cliff closed the cage on the two, they dusted off their paws and wings._

Lincoln scratched at his head. "That sure was a tight encounter alright," His arms extended out. "We were trapped in there for hours!"

Lana casually shook her head. "At least we were able to make an escape before things got even worse than it already was."

"Lincoln!" Lori yelled from upstairs. "The bathroom's all yours, but hurry up!"

Lincoln turned to the staircase. "Coming!" He ran upstairs as swiftly as he could.

Lana looked back over at the pets. With a satisfied smirk on her face, she patted down the cage. "Don't worry you guys, this will only last for at least a couple of hours," Charles, Cliff, Geo, and Walt's eyes opened up wide. "First there's the Vanzilla ride, then give or take a two-hour flight, and bam! We're off to—"

"Hey Lana!" Lola yelled out. "Your mangy frog's making off with my precious tiara!"

Lana groaned at an immense rate. She panned over to the stairs. "I'll be right there!" She turned back over to the pets. "Believe me, this won't be as bad as you think."

After the mud loving child ascended upstairs, Cliff uttered a terrified meow as Charles nervously whined.

A half an hour later, the family was all in the van ready to go, except for the father of the house. Double checking to make sure he and the rest of the family had everything, despite having to pack lightly, he closed the trunk of his beloved vehicle, as the pets gave off their sorrowful, puppy eyes.

After Lynn Sr. hopped in the driver's seat and closed the door shut, he was ready. Now for the one piercing question while Vanzilla started up. "Is everybody ready for the best dang trip of a lifetime?"

Everyone cheered unanimously. That settles it. With the vehicle in reverse, backing out of the driveway, the family was finally on the road. Chatter and positive attitudes were spread around with wondrous joy. All except for the pets with their horrendous expressions. They were angry, but at the same time, scared.

Were they worried that some unfortunate events would stand in the way between them and the family that took them in? Are they going to be trapped in that cage forever? What was made even more disconcerting was that there was barely any room for the four pets inside. Nevertheless, soon but surely enough, everything was bound to work out somehow in the end.

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**A/N: And thus concludes the first chapter. Already, I feel like the fun's just about to take off. Believe me, the next chapter's definitely going to unveil some surprises. I won't have time to update this daily so my plan is the update this journey every 48 to 72 hours. I hope nobody will mind if I do that though. xD**

**Thanks for reading! I'll see you guys in the next chapter.**


	2. The Rush

**A/N: Another day, another chapter to get on the road**.** I'm liking the reception this has been getting so far, despite not being a lot. I may not know what'll happen throughout the story but just know that I'll probably be just as surprised**** as you guys are as this journey progresses! With this out of the way, let's jump right into a new piece of the story. R&R!**

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Chapter II: The Rush

When it was about an hour and a half into the road, with a moderate traffic jam, and just a few miles before their exit to the airport, the rockstar of the bunch was desperate to break the silence. "Hey dudes, we should probably do another little game or something?" Luna suggested.

"Ohhh, but we just finished three games already!" Lola groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Well, it couldn't hurt to try another one." Lincoln shrugged, veering off into Luna's idea. "What's the premise?"

"Simple. Just come up with any rhymes that come to mind, and if you can't think of one, you're out!" Luna glanced at Vanzilla's window, before she turned back to one of her siblings. "I'll start - please!"

"Tease!" Lincoln spoke up.

"Cheese!" Lana smiled, glancing over to her fashionable twin.

"Seize!" Lola shifted her gaze onto Lucy.

"Uh… sleaze." the goth child spat.

"Everything's gotta rhyme with _ease_!" Luan chuckled, much to her family's displeasing groans.

A word came to the teenage fashionista in a snap. "Ooh, I know! Cheese!"

"I already said 'cheese', Leni." Lana awkwardly glanced to Leni. "Guess you're out."

"Aw!" Leni sadly glanced down at her feet. "And I was doing so well!"

The ditz herself got solaced by the eldest of almost a dozen offspring, with a pat on the back for her effort. It was her turn to start off another round.

"Alright Lori, start us off." Luna glanced to her.

"Okay, um… hair?" Lori nervously suggested.

"Burr!" Lily giggled, much to the family's satisfied smiles.

"Aww, isn't that sweet?" Rita clamped her hands together, gearing up to shed a single tear. "Our little Lily's growing up so fast. She already knows how to rhyme!"

"Alright kids, we're finally at our exit!" the father said!

"Already?" Lynn said. "It feels like we just left Royal Woods. Didn't think we were that close."

"Me neither," Lincoln glanced to the teenage athlete. "But hey, at least we're getting closer to that cruise!"

"Boy, I sure can't wait to wash the competition with you guys!" Luan chuckled, to no one's surprise. "Get it?"

As the siblings groaned once again, the athlete herself wanted to set her straight. "You sure you don't wanna eat those words, Luan?" she deviously smiled.

"We'll just have to wait and see." Luan confidently answered her sibling back.

With a glance towards one another, sans Luan, they all gave a cautious wink. This was definitely a one-of-a-kind challenge they were willing enough to accept at every chance they got.

Finding an empty parking space near the airport entrance, the father parked it just before another vehicle was about to take it. A beat in, the driver had no choice but to drive away and find another. At the rate the father was driving along with some heavy traffic along the way, they didn't have a lot of time to get everything settled and catch their flight.

"Alright, kids, start unloading, quickly!" Lynn Sr. got out of his van, and so did the rest of the family. They hurriedly grabbed their stuff from the back and the cage with their now snoozing pets still locked inside.

There was literally not even a second to waste. With hearts racing promptly and nerves elevating with great intensity, one by one, they all ran inside the airport.

They just had to wait behind a half a dozen people, at least two families. Good. As long as there wasn't anything getting in the way that would delay such a big family like this one, they should be fine.

"Come on, come on, come on…" Lynn Sr. checked the watch on his wrist. Reading just twenty-five minutes before the flight takes off, the man broke into a sweat. Trying to the best of his ability to not let that take control of him, he needed confidence. Luckily, his wife was there to give it to him.

"Honey, you're getting worked up for nothing," Rita grasped her husband's hand. "We'll make that flight in time, I'll promise you that."

Lynn Sr. quickly shifted over to his supportive wife. "But we have less than half an hour left and we haven't even gotten through security and those metal detectors yet, which I know will slow us down." He looked at the artifacts of clothing he now donned. He patted himself down all over, just to be sure. "I remember exactly how that became a problem before you and I even had children!"

That incident had Lynn Sr. pinned down, forced to partake in a quick body search by security. The detectors went off, never mind that he had no metal on him. They horrendously pinned the man down and stretched out their gloves, ready for searching. It was such an awkward experience to him, to the point where he would almost never let the incident go. So, this time, he had to make sure this wouldn't happen again.

The father rumbled around, almost like a soda can about to blow. "Jeez, I don't think I'll ever get over that," he uttered, placing a hand over his back pocket.

"C'mon you guys!" Lincoln pointed to the empty space in front of them. "We're next in line!"

As a slot opened up, the family rushed to take it. Pulling out tickets and handing them to the father, he slammed them on the table in front of him. He started hyperventilating not long after.

"Thirteen… tickets to Florida!" Lynn Sr. shook vigorously.

"Alright sir, all you need to do is hand over any heavy luggage to us and we'll get it all sorted out. Everything will be going to the same—"

"Hurry kids!" the father interrupted. "Twenty minutes!"

With small panics here and there, the family did as they're told and unloaded their stuff as quickly as they could one by one. The last piece of their luggage to place on the conveyor belt was the pet cage. Lana lifted it up and attempted to cut back her waterworks. It was difficult for her trying to part away with the animals she found and cared for since age two, but she had to let this happen so they could reach the plane in time.

"Well guys," she sniffled. "This is it. One of the hardest things I have to do…" Her mouth wiggled as her eyes began to start watering. She had to look away, it was too much for her to bear.

"I can't do it," She sorrowfully gasped. "Someone, help me!"

Lincoln grabbed the pet cage and handed it over to security, as they placed them on the conveyor belt. "There we go." Lincoln patted his sister on the head. "We'll see them later, shouldn't take that long."

"Let's go you guys," Lisa spoke up. "We still have to get past security and the gates!"

Parting ways with their four animals, Lana just had to cry out to them one last time. "We'll see you later you guys," she sniffled with a tear streaming down her face. "Mama loves you!"

Charles woke up to the sound of his faithful companion, her voice slowly descending in volume. Confused from what was happening, he kept on staring off somewhere until his sights finally gained focus. Finally, seeing Lana walking away from him along with the rest of the family, he gasped. Hiding away from the public eye as the pets along with the rest of the luggage moved together on the belt, he spoke.

"You guys, get up!" Charles shook the cage, waking up his friends. "Dis is reeeeal bad!"

Cliff opened his eyes, blinking twice as he pieced together their situation. "Wha? Da heck is goin' on here?" Geo and Walt slowly awakened. "I can't see a ting!"

Geo gasped out of concern. "Neither can I!"

"Wait… where are we?" Walt glanced from side to side, unaware of what's happening. "Are we… moving?"

"Yeah!" Charles glanced to the bird. There was finally a good amount of light, so they could at least see what was going on. "What are we doin' here?"

The hamster gulped. He was getting nervous. "Is this why those kids wanted us in this tight cage?"

Cliff began to act suspicious. "What's da meanin' of dis?"

Walt crossed his wings. "I blame you, dumb mutt."

Charles glared at the bird. "Hey now, don'tcha go puttin' yer blame on me when we all know you were droolin' for somethin' ta munch on too!" His stomach gave off a low growl. "Speakin' of dat, I'm still famished!"

The cat rolled his eyes. "Figures," He awkwardly lifted a paw. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Anyway, let's get back on topic." Charles had a rather dismaying thought occur to him. Those nerves of his started to peak gradually just having it on his mind. "Guys..?" he said, already quick to a conclusion.

Cliff, Geo, and Walt were growing just as volatile. "Y-yeah?"

"Ya don't tink…" the pup gulped. "Dey're tryin' ta git rid of us… right?"

The cat tried to pacify the hound. "Dat's ridiculous!" he uttered. "Whatever made ya tink such a ting?"

"I think you're being way too dramatic about this." Geo scratched at his head.

Charles turned to the trio. "Well, ya remember all da trouble we've gotten into over da last few days?"

"Dat incident wasn't my fault, and ya know it." Cliff clenched his paws, crossing them not long after.

Geo shrugged. "How was I supposed to know he was going to trip over my ball?" He drew a subtle snicker out from the domesticated feline.

"You know how it goes," Walt broke out into sass. "You mess with me, I'll mess on you."

Cliff glanced over to Charles. "Now what did ya do, dawg?"

Charles thought about what he did for a second. His answer seemed simple enough. "Just a little surprise gift fer dat man dat lived next door?" He looked down in regret. "I guess he didn't like da fresh scent of it though."

Cliff shook his feline head. "So, based on everythin' we've done, ya tink dey're gonna…"

Their thought bubbles formed together. Their immediate conclusion out of great fear that they were getting taken away from their family. The simple thought about animal control landing them into the pet sanctuary and having their days numbered, their first reception was an immediate gasp.

Poof went their thought, and the animals anxiety arose. There was still time to do something, or else they'll be hauled off to a terrible place, and live in a horrid nightmare come true.

Charles quickly jumped to a suggestion. "We hafta git outta here!"

"And fast!" Cliff added.

Geo's fear shifted into bravery and determination. "Start chomping!"

Walt refused, much to the other's disappointment. "No thanks, I don't do steel." He immediately received decried looks from the others, before he could shrug. "What?"

The family was finally at the metal detectors. Half of the siblings could make it through with nothing going wrong. It was just the older siblings starting from Lynn to the father of the bunch still left to go. Looking at his watch Lynn Sr.'s worries continued to get over him.

"Twenty minutes!" he nervously uttered. "Let's pick up the pace a bit!"

"We're moving as fast as we can, pops!" Lynn walked through the detector, not setting it off. Luan and Luna made it past with ease. Leni, unaware that her accessories were still attached to her body, set off the detectors. As the blaring alarms sound, each of the siblings plugged their ears with their fingers.

"Leni!" Lori extended her arms. "You're supposed to take everything that's metal off of you!"

"What? I'm pretty sure you can't wear anything metal." Leni attempted to prove her point. "That's such a silly attire. Who would walk around wearing something like that?"

Lori sighed irritably. "I meant you can't have on any kind of jewelry when you walk through the detectors."

"Why not?" Leni asked.

The family was growing impatient. "...Because they'll set off the alarms!" Lori explained.

Leni gasped. "You mean my precious earrings are causing this?" She caressed her accessory lightly.

"I dunno, what do you think?" Lola shrugged casually, before Lincoln's pants dropped to the floor. Lily couldn't help but burst into giggles after seeing the boy get exposed in just his comfortable red underwear. Taking notice as he realized he had to take his belt off to not set off the metal detectors, he handed the giggling infant to Lana. "Ugh, I hate those sensitive metal detectors," Lincoln uttered, pulling his trousers back up.

"Okay!" Leni doffed her ear rings. "If it really bothers you guys that much…" She passed through the detectors. They finally didn't go off after a while. Already delayed even further than before, and with less time to spare, Lori was next up to pass through. Her stride reached a brisk rate along with the mother of the bunch.

All that's left was the father. A portion of his siblings were already fast on their tail to notice he was shaking. It's almost like he was trying to smuggle something, but they know their father wouldn't do something like that.

"C'mon dad!" Lynn spoke up.

"We haven't got all day you know!" Lola crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently.

The father gulped. What if he walked through and set off the detectors just like Leni did? They have yet to perform a search on her after she set it off at least three times. Maybe he thought it got rigged or something that time, never mind that the airport did withheld a sensitive machine. He'll never find out what'll happen to him unless he took the stride.

At a slow pace that felt like it dragged on for a short amount of time, he finally passed through the metal detectors. Luck would be on his side. The detectors didn't go off on him in front of everyone. A small beat in between, Lynn Sr. exhaled deeply.

Rita grabbed her husband's hand and pulled him. "C'mon, we have to pick up the pace here!" All that was left for them to conquer was the gates.

Back on the conveyor belts, the pets sans Walt continued gnawing away at the steel bars. To no avail, the quadruple of animals had to rest those chompers of theirs. Pressure on their teeth inflicted a good amount of pain. In hopes to soothe the pain, the three massaged their chompers by tongue.

"I doan tink dis is workin' out fer us," Cliff drooped his ears.

"My teeth hurts so bad!" Geo rubbed his cheeks.

"We hafta keep tryin' somehow!" Charles encouraged his pals, before an idea would come hovering around his canine mind. "I know! Maybe we could resort ta pushin'!"

"Now that, I can help assist the mutt with." Walt grabbed onto the steel bar in front of him.

Charles glanced over to the bird. "Hey, go easy on da name callin'. Okay?"

The bird rolled his eyes. "Yeah, don't tell me what to do."

"Oh, da irony." Cliff snarked at Walt with a smirk.

The four animals got into position. Waiting for their cue, the dog took the lead, like he always did.

"Ready? Steady?" Charles' eyes squinted as the other would soon imitate his mood. "Push!"

Giving it their absolute all, they pushed themselves at the bars, desperate to bust the cage open. When everyone's face slowly shifted to a shade of red, one of them let it rip without the intention. They all paused and opened their eyes wide, wondering who could have broke wind. Cliff, Geo, and Walt all gave the white hound suspicious glances, pinning the blame on him as it prepared him to take his honest responsibility for the offensive action.

"Sorry." Charles blushed as he gave an awkward smile.

"Geez dawg, what have ya been eatin'?" Cliff plugged his nose, knowing that Charles was the one who farted.

The dog crossed his arms in his fierce nature. "Make any criticisms ya want, ya know yer used ta dis." He shook his head. "Enough playin' around here, we hafta tink of somethin' else."

When Walt felt a sudden sensation on his beak, he rubbed on it without even coming close to hesitating. As a light bulb appeared over his head, he realized that he just hatched an idea.

"Wait, I think I've got it!" Walt snapped, getting the other pets' undivided attention. "Remember how the cat used me as a key to set free that little puppy that one time?"

Smiles ensued for them all. "I honestly forgot about dat!" Cliff grabbed the bird.

"You know what to do, my feline friend." Walt winked. The cat put the bird's beak into the lock's tumblers, activating them without a second to spare before the lock came a loose. Slowly but much to their struggling relief, the door compartment finally opened up wide.

They were free. It didn't take long for them to figure out what they need to do next.

"We're out!" Geo raised both his paws.

Charles was the first to hop out of the cage. "Now c'mon!" The rest soon followed him from behind. "We hafta find our way outta dis dump!"

Dodging a lot of baggage and finding some kind of light, the quadruple gang of pets bolted their way out. Their ever-loving bond for the entire Loud family was too much to just throw away just like that. This was a mission for them, and their lives definitely depended on it in this case.

* * *

**A/N: And thus concludes Chapter 2. The real fun begins in the next chapter. What with the pets making their escape, and everyone's obliviousness getting the best of them all, who knows what could go down next? Stay tuned to find out!**

* * *

**Chapter 1 responses:**

**Shaeril McBrown: Thanks~**

**Hatoralo: Thanks so much~**

**Guest (Tristen): Thanks for what exactly?**


	3. The Rift

**A/N: Alright you guys, it's time to get another chapter on the road! R&R!**

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Chapter III: The Rift

Everybody had only ten minutes left to go before their flight to Florida took off into the skies. It was time to board the plane. The family, one by one all ran past the gates. The only thing that stopped them temporarily was a long line. Everybody had to wait to be assigned their seats. Too bad that this airline wouldn't let people sit wherever the heck they wanted to. Having a row of seats to themselves was literally an impossibility.

"Alright everybody, as soon as you set foot on this plane, please be sure to take your seats!" the attendant spoke in a content and heartfelt tone.

The father stopped to catch his breath. "Hoo, we made it.."

"Move it, bub!" Lola swiftly pushed aside a fellow passenger. Her stride was faster than the rest of the family, hoping to find three empty seats to herself. A search later, there wasn't any. Despite being desperate, too bad for her. "Dang it!" she said, throwing her fists down.

"No need to be selfish, dude," Luna took a seat to the princess' right.

"Nobody seems to understand personal space in this town." Lola mumbled, hopping up to the seat on the left. The eldest of the siblings soon accompanied her immediately after.

"It's a plane Lola," Lori gave an unamused look. "There's literally no personal space."

Lana and Lincoln took the seats behind the two as Lucy and Lynn took the seats across from them. Leni and Luan were in front of the beauty queen and the social media teen while Rita and Lynn Sr. were from across, having Lily with them in their seat. Lisa had yet to find her seat. Looking all around, the only one she could manage to find was with Luna.

The rocker turned to the little scientist. "Hey dude," she patted down the seat next to her. She figured she could get her to provide some help with tuning her ukulele. Lisa decided to take it anyway, since there wasn't any other seat available for her. When Luna whipped out her small instrument, Lisa hopped up and got to work.

"Alright fellow sibling," Lisa spoke up. "If you need my input for a 'beach-y' setting," She pointed to a single knob on Luna's instrument. "I believe that you should tune the top left knob at least a hundred semitones," She then gestured to the strings." And test it out by playing a note at a quarter decibel, and then—"

Luna placed her hand over Lisa's mouth. "Hold on a sec." She whipped out a notepad and a pencil before handing it over to the smart toddler. "Kinda figured this would help you out better."

Lisa grabbed the two items before she took her time glancing back and forth at them and the rockstar. "Alright then," she said. "If we must." She immediately proceeded to writing.

Her efforts in assisting her placed a smile on the rockstar's face. "Thanks, dude!" She casually uttered, giving her two thumbs up.

"Anything for a good sibling such as yourself." She smiled, gesturing an okay sign back to her.

"Attention everyone, I hope you all have a wonderful day today. The skies should be clear as ever with no chance of storms. We should arrive at our destination in as little as eighty-three minutes. Now if you could please fasten your seatbelts, our flight will take off in about ten minutes."

"Well honey," Lynn Sr. strapped on his seatbelt. "Looks like this is it!"

Rita did the same thing her husband did in an instant. "Yeah, this is going to be a swell time!"

When two beeps elicited right after, lights flashing in front of passengers to equip their seatbelts, everyone was quick to obey the signs. All strapped and ready to go, their excitement arose, and nobody was afraid to show it off.

"Florida, here we come!" The parents raised their hands together. Their kids would soon cheer loudly before everyone else on the plane wanted to join in by impulse. So much joy and wonder filled them all, eager to express having fun as soon as they get to the destination they've been waiting for.

In the airplane where the rest of the bags were heading to, the four animals were loose and on the run. Free from the claustrophobic nature of the cage they were locked in, they kept on bolting and dodging the luggage that stood in their way. It almost reminded them of something classic and retro from the Royal Woods' local arcade, but they would highly doubt that.

"C'mon guys," Charles eyes came halfway shut. "We can do dis!"

"I don't know about this," Geo panted, gradually dropping some speed as he's almost out of breath. "I can't keep this up any further!"

Cliff looked around the interior. "There has ta be a button out dere somewhere dat'll stop dese crazy tracks."

Walt searched the premises. Luckily for him, it's not that far away for him to take notice. A shiny button just sitting there, unarmed. "I found it!"

As the hamster tumbled around, getting dizzier as the belts kept rolling, the cat and the dog cheered him on with their meows and barks. Fixated on the single button, the bird charged at it with full force. Throwing himself at the button with enough impact caused the conveyor belts to halt abruptly. Caught off their guard, Charles and Cliff crashed into the luggage in front of them at top speed. Geo would soon follow, crashing into the surprised cat's backside before he bounced off of him.

Cliff angrily turned to Geo, crossing his arms shortly after. "Hey, watch it will ya?"

With stars circling around the hamster and spirals taking over his eyes, he was on the verge of vomiting. For once, he could hold it down, unlike the last time when they tried to hook two birds up. Quick to swallow up his juices, he softly rubbed around his head.

"I hate rolling around in this thing." the hamster groaned, as he would soon lay on his back from exhaustion.

Cliff shifted his attention to Walt. "Great goin', bird!" His response was a thumbs up from the flying avian.

Charles awakened to his feet. "Well dat solves da belt problem," He hopped over the luggage. "Now we doan hafta worry 'bout wastin' time! C'mon ya guys!"

Cliff didn't waste time following the hound's lead. Geo did the same, following them at a slower pace thanks to his dizziness. As everyone caught up to Walt, he too would follow them from behind.

It might have taken them a good few minutes to find their way out, but finally, they found the exterior they've been looking forward to.

.

.

.

They weren't still inside the airport anymore. Realization would tell them they found themselves at the junk of the plane's trunk. Looking all over, desperate to find their family, Charles was the first to offer a suggestion.

"To da van!" He hopped down the stationary belt. Fury filled him slightly the dog slightly reached closer to the vehicle. This… was a provocative issue. "I've got a couple words ta spill wit dis backstabbin' family!"

Cliff followed from behind. "Aftuh all we've done fer them, this is how it all ends?" He angrily uttered.

"I can't believe they would betray us like this." Walt flailed his wings swiftly.

"Now, let's not jump to conclusions…" Geo lightly suggested. "I'm sure they wouldn't do that to us."

Finally reaching the parking lot The hunt was on for locating the whereabouts of Vanzilla. Each pet popped up from vehicle to vehicle, looking at their left and right. There wasn't any luck. The truth be told, it was hard for them to find the vehicle they're looking for in a large parking lot. This was the airport, it wasn't like a walk through some fresh meadow.

Cliff searched on one row, no dice on his part. "Nope."

Geo tried another row, no luck for him either. "Not over here."

Walt could find Vanzilla from the distance. His sense of tracking things down was unquestionably at large. "I see it!" He flew towards the vehicle.

Charles could also track the van down alongside the bird, using his nose that had the power of a bloodhound. "Ovuh dere! I can smell it!" The dog ran, following the bird closely behind. "C'mon!"

Cliff and Geo couldn't help but share a quick glance before they both followed Charles' lead. In the range with the vehicle, the pets expressed their anger. The dog growled first before he banged on the vehicle with his paw. When his barking inevitably ensued, Cliff hopped up to the driver handle. He hissed as he made his attempt to open up the van to no avail. No luck.

Walt flew in front of the van, only to find out something wasn't right. At all. Upon realization, his eyes quickly widened up. "Wait a minute…" he uttered.

"Hey bird," Charles spoke up. "Are dose jerks in dere or not?"

"Nowhere in sight!" Walt shook his head. "I'm willing to bet that they wussed out so they don't have to deal with us!"

"Come on now," Geo stepped forward. "I'm pretty sure they wouldn't do this to us, right?"

Charles shifted to the innocent hamster. "Face da facts, Ham!" He groped his ball with both paws. "Dey've thrown us unduh da bus! Dey ain't comin' back fer us!"

Geo shook his head out of confusion. That innocent little mind of his would not be tainted already at such a fast rate. He didn't want to believe in the words Charles was spitting at him, but his mind sure was diverging onto that path.

"I don't believe you!" Geo exclaimed, clenching his paws. "Am I dreaming?"

Checking the hamster's reality, the dog shook his ball around. "Is dis a dream ta youse?!"

That was the nail in his coffin. Feeling nauseous, Geo's face turned green. With his stomach turned, his chunks broke loose. His puke splattered inside his ball, sheltering a third of his ball. Just perceiving him caused everyone around him to back off.

Geo fell backwards off his feet before rebounding shortly after. "I'd appreciate it… if you didn't do that… to me…"

"Dang…" Walt mouthed.

Charles shook his head and laughed hastily. "Sorry." He walked off to find something to rinse the hamster off.

"Now do ya believe us?" Cliff tilted his head.

A beat took place for the sickened hamster as the dog returned with a half empty bottle of water. "I—gurgle—guess…"

Charles opened up Geo's ball and dumped him out. Cliff grabbed the bottle and sprayed it around the interior. Walt was growing rather irritated by this. Thinking this would slow them down, he had to give the other pets a piece of his mind.

"You guys, we don't have time for this!" Walt flew to the hamster's ball, whacking it out into the street, only for a car to run over it, rendering it useless.

"Aah!" Geo screamed. "Why did you do that?"

Walt placed his wings on his hips. "One: that ball of yours was slowing us down, and two: I did you a favor, and eventually, you'll gladly thank me for it!"

It upset Geo deeply. "How could you possibly think this was a good thing?"

Walt grew more stubborn as he gave off a smirk to him. "You'll see."

While the hamster and the bird laid down a squabble towards each other, Cliff grabbed a hold of the rear view windows of the van and extended a claw. Picking the door lock to what seemed like it lasted for a long time, the tumblers would finally activate. With the door unlocked, Cliff opened the door with serenity.

"Bird, Ham," Charles was growing irked overtime. "Stop fightin' ovuh dis kinda nonsense!"

"Uh, ovuh here ya dimwits!" Cliff called out, sitting in the driver's seat. Paying the cat their undivided attention, Charles was quick to question his experience.

"Wha? How da heck did ya manage ta do dat?" the dog pointed.

Cliff shrugged. "Beats me, dawg. I ain't da one tellin' what da hay's happenin' here."

"Let's check da back!" Charles jumped inside the van, pushing Cliff aside as it made him fall off the driver's seat. Confident enough, he started an investigation. He and the others were desperate to find out why and what lead to getting cage up from the start. "Dere's gotta be somethin' dey're hidin' here."

As the dog searched from the left to the right of the van, there wasn't a single thing in sight. Popping back up with a bikini resting on his head, Charles laid out his update. "I got nothin'." Doffing the swimwear and holding it in close proximity to himself, the cat couldn't help but smile and whistle like the wolf.

"Stop it." Charles irritably spat, causing Cliff to draw out an audible snicker. Hypocrisy would prove the dog justice as he grinned just looking at them.

"Is that…" Geo uttered uneasily.

"Yes, that's a piece of swimwear." Walt answered, not before he rolled his eyes.

"I'm thinkin' someone musta left dose behind." Cliff uttered, caressing his chin.

"Yeah no jack," Walt flew inside the van, before an alarming realization got to him. He gasped. "Oh no!"

"Huh?" Charles confusedly blurted.

"Did you actually think they were going to get rid of us?" Walt questioned as he pointed to the oblivious, gulping dog.

"Er..." Charles shifted his eyes sideways. "Whattaya tink?"

"You dimwit!" Walt insulted. "They weren't trying to abandon us... they were going on vacation and they were taking us with them!"

When everyone's hearts dropped, Cliff jumped. "What?!"

"Vacation?!" Geo got dizzy before falling off his feet once more.

Charles shook his head. "Say what now?"

"You heard me right!" Walt stood his ground, getting attention from everyone around him. "Now, we have to hurry up and get back on that plane before-" But it was too late, the plane was already moving and ready to blast off into the skies above. The moment the four noticed the big vehicle in the air, there wasn't a single thing they could do now. To the trio of pets, Walt was notably turning red. Oh no, he got real furious.

The bird turned his burning vision on the dumb dog. "Grrrrr, you have done it now you big dumbo. You have REALLY done it!" Just the sight of his burning hatred for Charles got him to pee right on the sweet spot. He feared greatly on what the yellow avian was about to do now.

"Uh oh..." Charles muttered to himself.

Out of impulse, Walt charged into the van. Charles yelped and dodged his every move before he hopped out of the van. Cliff grabbed Walt by the wing and set him down in front of him, wanting to stop the silly feud between him and the dog.

"You didn't need to grab me you know." Walt glared at the cat as he rubbed his wing, soothing the pain.

"Calm down, bird," Cliff gestured. "I'm sure we have anothuh way of gettin' ta where dey're headed."

The bird crossed his wings. "Like what?"

The cat jumped into the driver's seat and placed a paw on the steering wheel. "We do have dis here van! We can use it ta get ta wherever da family's headed!"

Geo's head tilted. Suspicions arose in his mind. "Don't tell me… you know how to drive…"

Cliff gestured to himself. "I can't…" He then gestured to Charles as he nervously shook his head. "But da dawg can!"

"Bah!" Charles facepalmed.

Geo scratched his head and smiled awkwardly. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

Walt didn't hesitate to mimic the hamster's action. "Wait a minute, don't you need a key for it or something to make it go 'vroom'?" He gestured his wings to the left. Quick to their realization, the pets' eyes widened up. Without that major detail about the transportation vehicle they have, it doomed them immensely.

Cliff facepalmed. "Dang it!"

Charles shrugged. "Well, doesn't anyone know how ta hot-wire dis piece 'o junk?"

The cat shook his head. "Beats me, dawg."

"Nada." Geo sadly added.

Walt tapped his feet on the seat. "I'm not into stuff like that."

"Dat's it den, we're doomed!" Charles threw his head down. What could they do now? The turnabout stranded them at the airport, with nothing around them to famish and quench them when they need it the most. To throw salt into their wounds, they were several miles away from their home.

"You mean... we're going to starve and perish out here?" Geo spoke up in fear.

"I doan tink I'm ready fer this..." Cliff added, rubbing on his arms with his ears flopped.

"If you ask me, it's not that big of a deal." Walt spat.

"Of course you'd say dat," Charles glared to the bird. "Yer a bird!"

Walt pointed to the dog. "That's _canary_ to you, dog!" he asserted himself.

"Eh, same difference." Cliff shrugged, rolling his eyes at the two.

"You guys! What are we going to do?" The hamster's concern grew even greater. "Our family's gone, we have no transportation, and who knows how far we are from our home?"

They all stood around aimlessly for a while. With nothing on them, there's no telling what could happen to them. They were afraid, yes. But, they all just had to remember one important lesson about surviving by their complete lonesome.

A lightbulb hovered over the white hound's head. "We can do dis, ya guys. I'm sure we're ain't dat far from home. If we could just stick togethuh, den we shouldn't hafta face problems."

The cat gave out a little smile. "Yeah, I guess yer right." Cliff agreed, feeling the courage build up inside of him. "Although ya got us inta dis mess, I wouldn't mind testin' our skills out here in da wild."

"This should be fun!" Geo said.

"Whatever." Walt uttered, rolling his eyes. "Just leave the predatory hunting to me, whenever we're doing that I guess."

Charles gave off a happy and determined smile. "Alright den, it's settled!" Everyone placed their paw and their wings in. "No mattuh what happens, we can get through dis togethuh, as pals."

"Ready?" Cliff glanced over at everyone. The four animals drew back their paws as that all simultaneously uttered, "Break!"

Before they could start their journey back home, the dog's stomach rumbled. Someone was hungry, and they couldn't wait to have a satisfied stomach.

"But first, let's find somethin' ta eat." Charles suggested, walking around aimlessly.

"Sure, why not?" Cliff uttered.

"Okay then." Geo and Walt simultaneously added.

The three pets followed the dog around wherever he went. Soon enough, they'll reach a good place to find something to snarf down. Whether it was untouched junk food, or a half-eaten slice of pizza pie, they'll take whatever the world had to offer.

After just walking around, dodging people and staying out of their business, they found two trash bin, halfway full with some rubble and discarded objects. The other one, filled with a mixture of fresh and day old food. Just the sight of it had the dog smiling, but not the others.

"Welp, dis is what we have today." Charles hopped in the trash bin, grabbing a half-eaten apple before he popped back up. "Dig in!"

Cliff slightly tilted his head. Something didn't sit right with him. "Are ya really considerin' dis?" The cat cringed.

"It smells like the food's been rotting out here for days..." Geo wafted the air.

"...Is there any water in there?" Walt curiously asked.

"I dunno, hop in 'n find out!" Charles quickly answered the bird.

"Alright then, I guess?" Walt flew over the bin, looking for a bottle, until by chance alone, there was a small, discarded bottle just for him. It looked like nobody's opened it before. Despite it looked like it was room temperature, he didn't seem to mind at all.

"Hey! There we go!" Walt landed on the bottle and lifted it to the ground. Unscrewing the top, he stuck his beak inside and sipped away. "That's nice." The bird sighed.

"Can I have some too?" Geo nervously rubbed his paws.

The question almost wanted to extract a groan out of the bird, but he's lucky enough that it didn't hurt him to be generous.

"Oh sure, here." Walt pushed the bottle over to the hamster.

"Ya wouldn't happen ta find somethin' fishy in dere, right?" Cliff asked the dog.

Charles dug in and pulled out a can of tuna. "Take dat." He tossed it over to the cat. It didn't take long for Cliff to sink his teeth into that grub. Though it may have tasted funny to the feline, he didn't seem to give a care in the world.

"Thanks!" The cat uttered, his mouth full of fishy goodness. Not even a full minute in, the pets finished their quick snack.

"Everybody good?" Charles asked.

"I guess so?" Walt answered back, giving the dog a shrug along with the cat and the hamster.

"I'm good if you are," Geo added.

Charles looked at an empty field to his right. "Guess we should head on home den." He squinted his eyes. "We've got no choice, but ta take _da _long_ way home_."

It's time for them to hit the road. Who knows what they could encounter on their journey? Will they survive, or will they not? They'll never know the true answer to all of the above, unless they go for it, together, as pals.

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**A/N: And thus concludes Chapter 3. Here we are, the moment we've been waiting for since. I hope you guys are just as excited as I am, wondering how these pets are going to be put to the test. Believe me when I say, it's gonna be a wild ride! See you guys in the next chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 2 responses:**

**Guest (Tristen): Thanks.**


	4. The Beginning

**A/N: Hello, hello! Time for another chapter to unveil on this journey! R&R!**

* * *

Chapter IV: The Beginning

Charles, Cliff, Geo, and Walt's test of survival was finally about to begin. Yes, they all may fear what could happen, even the unthinkable is fair game in their lives. But, they're determined enough to not let that take over their courage. As lingas they had each other, they could get through anything life had to throw at them.

Leaving the airport and heading straight into the empty fields, the four animals took their leisurely walk on the green grass, while nobody stayed in their way. It was almost like a walk through a fresh meadow without a single care in the world. Not much was happening for them, but they took it like a good thing.

"Alright pals, how ya holdin' up so far?" Charles looked back at the cat, the hamster, and the bird. Their neutral emotions they expressed answered the dog's question.

"We just left the airport..." Walt looked back.

"I'm having a good time," Geo glanced to the feline. "What about you?"

"Pain ta my paws." Cliff answered, his face slowly getting drowsy.

"Aw c'mon cat!" Charles patted the feline on the back. "I'm sure yer gonna hold up just fine!"

The hamster looked to the cat. "Yeah, it's not like anything bad is gonna-"

Charles placed a paw on Geo's face, stopping him from getting another word out. "Watch it, Ham. We doan need nothin' stoppin' us already."

Walt flew to the oblivious hamster. "That sentence is nothing but trouble to just about everybody, so shut your trap."

Geo pushed the dog's paw off of him. A glare took over his expression. "Touche."

"Which way do ya guys tink takes us home?" Cliff asked, glancing to his left and right. Every other pet soon did the same thing. They were just as stumped as the feline. Assuming one of them might have a clue where they should head to, the cat, the bird, and the hamster all glanced over to the dog. His sense of smell out of everyone was far more accurate than theirs. Not only that, they considered him the _leader_ of the team.

Charles felt pressured by just the three animals looking at him. "Oh uh..." The dog gulped in fear. Puzzled from the feline's question, he just had to take an educated guess, gesturing towards the fields and trees up ahead of them. Who could blame him, really? "Let's just... stroll down dis here fields... I tink?" He gave off an awkward smile before he chuckled.

Cliff grew skeptical, noticing the dog's nervous response. "Are ya sure about dat?" he asked.

"Of course!" Charles quickly responded. "When have I evuh steered ya guys wrong?"

"Uh... how about a few minutes ago when you thought the family was getting rid of us?" Walt spat, attempting to get smart with the dog.

Charles was unamused from the bird's answer. "...Aside from dat." Now, everyone's stumped. Cliff, Geo, and Wat can't remember any other time they got screwed over because of the dog. From that point onward, they had to give out a shrug and transfer all of their trust on him.

"Alright, dog. Lead us the way!" Geo said.

The pup stood his ground before he deeply inhaled and exhaled. "Okay! Onward, my fellow pals o' mine! Ta home, we go!"

And with that, the others wasted no time following the leader wherever he went. Their test had finally begun. Only time could tell how long the four of them together would last, or if they'll have the courage to complete that task of theirs somehow. The first thing they noticed was that they were one hundred miles away from Royal Woods, according to a road sign they encountered before they even walked halfway to the fields.

The pets shared a quick gulp. "Oh dear." Geo's ears drooped slightly.

"A hundred miles, huh?" Walt uttered, almost as if that was nothing to him.

Cliff groaned immensely. "Oh geez... dere's no way I can walk on foot fer dat long."

"C'mon, cat." Charles turned to Cliff. "Ya ain't no quittuh, are ya?"

The cat crossed his arms. "Heck no! What are ya talkin' about?"

Charles made a fist, holding it with his other arm. "We've been part of dis crazy family fer years, and ya wanna know what dey told me?" He gestured with a finger pointing upward. "No mattuh what happens, we nevuh give ourselves or anybody up! We stick togethuh, until da end!"

"He's right you know!" Geo smiled.

Cliff sighed. "Well, I can't argue wit' dat one."

Charles grabbed the cat by his arms. A little pep talk couldn't hurt anybody. "We can do dis ting if we try hard enough! Dere ain't nothin' out dere dat's worth throwin' away just like dat. It's all too valuable fer us!"

Cliff was quick to realize that the dog was spitting facts. Motivated from his words, he could feel that determination building up inside him. "Yer right, dawg. Yer definitely right. Who knows what could we be capable of if we never put our best paw forward, right?"

Charles snapped his fingers and pointed at the cat. "Dat's right!"

"You gotta believe!" Geo added, giving out a thumbs up.

Impatience took over the bird. With his eyes rolled, he asked one simple question to the rest of the gang. "Hey, can we please wrap up the motivational talk and get this show on the road?"

The pets let out a beat. A glance towards each other later, they all concluded on an agreement. "Well, only 'cause ya said 'please'." Charles walked off. "C'mon ya guys, we hafta git' on home." Cliff, Geo, and Walt all followed the dog close behind. They headed off into the bushes in front of them, eventually taking them to the deep forests ahead.

"At least let me walk aside from ya. I doan wanna stare at yer butt da whole time, it's an embarrassment." The cat spat.

"Aw shaddup." Charles retaliated.

* * *

Hours later, the family finally landed in Florida. After they boarded off the plane, they awaited for their luggage and their four lovable animals at the baggage area. One by one, their stuff came rolling in on the conveyor belts. From the parents all the way down to Lisa's, everything seemed to go perfectly well for the family. Unbeknownst to the entire family, there was something missing from it all.

"Well kids, here we are!" Lynn Sr. said. "We're just a big step closer to that cruise!"

"This is going to be a good vacation." Lori whipped out some shades and equipped them on her face. "I can literally feel it."

"I can't wait until I show those peeps on the cruise who's boss!" Lynn asserted.

"That's where you're wrong, sis!" Lincoln confidently retorted.

"I can't believe we're already here..." Leni looked all around. "Is this the place where we're surrounded by all those trees?"

"Palm trees, yes." Lisa answered. "However, that's not the only place here in the states that obtains them. There's also-"

"You guys!" Lana spoke out, quivering in fear. "All our stuff's here, but where's Charles, Cliff, Geo, and Walt?!"

"Doggy? Kitty?" Lily uttered in a baffled manner.

Lincoln walked up to her. "Calm down, Lana," he serenely spoke. "They're probably still with us."

"Maybe we just have to wait a bit longer?" Luna suggested with a shrug.

"But we have to get to the cruise before it takes off!" Lola reminded. "I mean, if it was tomorrow, then sure, but we have less than an hour to get our butts on that ship!"

"You don't really care about how much those pets mean to me, do you?" Lana turned to her beautiful twin.

"Wha? Of course I do!" Lola retaliated uneasily. "You spend just about every minute of every day with them." She quickly changed her tone. "That is, when you're not doing your mechanic work and wallowing around in your own filth."

"Alright kids," Rita sighed. "Until those pets get here safe and sound, nobody's going anywhere."

"But, what if I have to use the bathroom?" Lincoln asked. "That soda I had on the plane really went through me faster than I thought."

Luan pointed behind her. "Plus, the bathroom's just across from here."

"Alright, but to the bathroom, and nowhere else!" the father responded.

Eventually, the pet cage would arrive on the conveyor belt. The second it hit them that the four animals were no longer inside the cage, everyone's hearts felt like it hit them hard. Gasps ensued from every member of the family. Much to their shock of the twisted discovery, everyone was in fear that something terrible must've happened to them. What's even worse is, _none_ of the pets had any tags on them.

"Gasp." Lucy spoke.

"Oh no, dudes!" Luna added.

"They're... g-gone?!" Lana reacted. It hit her the most. Animals were her passion that she loved and cared for the most, almost as if they were her children. The sudden disappearance of them forced her to fall to her knees and quiver her eyes. "It... it can't be." She was on the verge of crying.

Lori was extremely confused. "How did this happen?"

"I don't understand!" Lincoln spoke. His head was in his hands now, before he elicited a light, horizontal gesture to it. "I had the cage locked up and everything!"

"Are you sure about that?" Rita asked her son. She was understandably skeptical by the middle child's sentence.

"Because sometimes, you love to lie just so you can get out of taking responsibility." Lynn reminded as everyone else gave Lincoln a stink eye. She had a good point about it.

Being a man of his word, the boy had no choice to assert himself. "You guys! I'm not being dishonest about this!" He gestured over to his tomboy twin. "Ask Lana, she witnessed what went down!"

"It's true!" Lana confirmed. "Lincoln had the lock on it and everything!"

With all the information that was spat out. Lucy grew more skeptical than the rest of the family. "Hmm... You guys don't think the airport security in Royal Woods had something to do with them... do you?"

"Well, if Lincoln's not to blame..." Lola wondered. "Then yeah, I suppose I can agree with the goth girl on this."

The rest of the family complied in terms of accusations towards the security. Meanwhile, Luna walked over to the poor mud-loving twin. "It'll be okay dude." She tried to comfort her, to no avail.

"No..." Lana sniffled. "I don't think it will... what if they get lost out there? What if they're going to throw our pets into the bad, bad pound? I don't know what I'll do without them!"

Lori started typing on her phone. "Which is why me and Dad's going to file a complaint about this as soon as we can." Unbeknownst to her, the airport they've arrived at had a very weak service for all mobile gadgets. They couldn't even get a single bar shown on their screen. No notifications, no email, and no messages and calls in or out. As if things couldn't get any worse for them.

"Ugh, seriously? No service?" Lori violently reacted.

"What? There's no service at this crummy airport?" Lola clenched her fists. "It's not like we're stranded out somewhere surrounded by trees or something. How is that even possible?"

Rita sighed. "And it'll be even worse once you kids realize, there won't be any service when we're on that ship."

The sibling reacted as if there was something torturing them all. That piece of information only left them with only one chance of hope for the sake of the entire family in finding out what happened with the pets.

"You guys, let's all calm down now." Lynn Sr. suggested.

The siblings spoke together, their anxiety clearly pushing their nerves forward. "Calm down?!"

"How can we all calm down at a time like this?" Lincoln spoke. "Charles, Cliff, Geo, and Walt are missing, we can't call anybody for help, and we're going to be stranded on a really awesome cruise ship with no service!"

"Our only hope we have on us is if that cruise has wireless internet services," Lori looked at her phone. Her battery was depleting quickly. "And I really hope that ship has a charging port, or an outlet. I'm literally down to ten percent of life!"

"Um... am I the only one here who thinks we're wasting our valuable time?" Leni curiously spat.

"Oh geez, Leni's right... for once." Lynn Sr. reacted swiftly. "C'mon you kids, we have a cruise to board!"

Everyone grabbed their stuff as quickly as they could and started the search for the exit. Meanwhile, Lana grabbed her pet cage and lamented. Realizing that the poor tomboy was slowing them down, someone necessarily needed to call out to her.

"Come on, Lana!" Lola spoke out.

"Don't yell at me!" Lana retorted, fighting back her tears.

* * *

Into the deep wilderness, dusk had already began to set. As the pets' visibility dropped for the night, Geo had a suggestion he had on his mind. He was desperate to ask it, no matter how it came out of him.

"You guys," he panted. "Think we could maybe call it a night or something?"

"We hafta keep travellin'", Charles answered, looking back to the hamster. "No restin'!"

The hamster gradually laid on the ground. "But it feels like we've been walking forever..."

"I wonder how far out are we, anyway?" Walt asked, scratching at his head.

Charles wasn't too sure about the answer. Instead, he gave out his estimated guess. "I dunno, about a tenth of da way out?"

Cliff sighed. "I'm willing ta bet da whole family's enjoyin' dat cruise we surprisingly didn't get ta go on."

"I would kill to know what that experience would be like." Walt responded.

Those comments from the two animals caused a sigh to be elicited from the annoyed pup. "Yes yes, I'm sure all 'o youse wants ta have a taste of dat cruise." Charles tried to lift their spirits. "But hey, at least ya guys have dis as an alternative opportunity ta have some bit of fun!"

The cat paused momentarily. "I'm sorry but, what's so fun about walkin' around a dusky ol' forest like dis one?"

Geo began to quiver in place. "I'm terrified if anything, you guys..."

"So am I, but ya doan see me jumpin' around, now do ya?" Charles spoke too soon. A tree trunk landed just inches in front of him, the impact omitting a thunderous sound. It influenced the dog to jump back in fear, all while he gave a whimper soon afterwards. Cliff and Walt couldn't help but laugh at his cowardly nature, before Charles got on their tail.

"Shut yer yaps!" Charles seriously commanded, the cat and the bird quickly obeyed. "Now, dis he's nothin' compared ta what I've seen wit' my innocent lil' mind."

Curiosity would kill the cat for asking, but he wanted to make a risk. "Why am I curious ta ask what have ya seen?"

"Do ya really wanna know?" the dog asked. A beat took place before Cliff could utter anything else. Wishing to respect some boundaries, he willingly backed out of prying further. Charles smirked upon watching the feline. "Dat's what I thought."

The four pets moved forward together once again, making their way past the felled chunk of the tree. The sounds of the rustling leaves built up their fear gradually. It's almost like someone or something was out there... waiting for them to drop their guard. Geo's quivering grew immensely. Something about the gloomy atmosphere they're facing didn't sit right with him... at all.

"Guys... do you think... someone's out there...?" he hugged the dog from behind.

"Now now, dose are just leaves." Charles spat. "It ain't like dere's a wolf, or maybe a raccoon or somethin' out dere."

"Ya need ta relax, Ham." Cliff calmly suggested.

"I don't know about that." Walt shrugged. "Given the way our world is acting nowadays, literally _anything_ could happen." He couldn't help but cross his wings in mere disappointment. "People are out here taking names and ruining lives, and for what legitimate reason?"

"Yeah, it's sad." the cat agreed. "Dere ain't no such ting as safety now."

"Hence da reason why I say we stick togethuh." Charles added, standing his ground as he glanced forward. "No mattuh what, And be prepared fer anythin' nature has ta throw at us!"

Geo took notice of something in the distance. It looked like something that may be a threat to their party. "Uh... you mean like that?" As he pointed to what's in front of him, the rest of the pets took notice. Oh no. This can't be good.

"Uh oh." Charles leaned back.

It was a raccoon, and it was rabid. It hissed at the party before the latter responded with fear. Backing off, the raccoon felt obliged to attack. So with that, it did. Charging at the fearful quartet, the leader had to be quick with a diversion.

"Scatter!" Charles juked to his left, the others doing the opposite. The mangy animal missed them. He went back for another charge, only for the dog to dodge it once more.

"You guys, what do we do?" Geo's paws covered his chin.

"Dat's one crazy coon!" Cliff pointed.

"Wow. Understatement much?" Walt barely reacted.

Lifting his head, a lightbulb hatched over the canine's head. "I know." Charles rushed to a nearby tree as the racoon would ultimately follow from behind. He figured that running around several circles would eventually tire the mean creature out. The only problem that he had to endure, was that the dog didn't realize that the raccoon had a good amount of stamina in him. It could take minutes before any results would occur to them.

Walt gave out a shrug as he didn't understand where Charles was going with his intention. "Uh... what are you doing?"

"Er... somebody do somethin' here?!" The daunting hound yelped. Searching for something to put the dangerous animal in its place, Cliff found a weighted piece of a rock and threw it at the tree. Luck would have a connection on the dog's side. The rock slammed into the raccoon at high speed, knocking it clean off its feet. One hit K.O.

As it crashed into the ground next to the tree, Charles stopped running as his stride dropped back down to his normal pace. Welp, they outwitted a mangy beast. If the pets really wanted to celebrate at a time like that, then they would. Instead, they threw some everyday compliments they often hear.

"Well, we did it." Charles dusted himself off.

"Nice shot, cat." Geo smiled, crossing his arms.

"That was a little anti-climatic, but okay." Walt shrugged, boredom filling him slightly.

"At least all of us weren't harmed in any way, shape or form." The cat browsed around his body. No visible scratches. It was hard to tell for the rest of the pets, given his black coating. "Guess we're safe for da night?"

The second Cliff guessed that they were in the clear, tensions started to peak inside them all. What if that wasn't the only raccoon out there to get them? What if there's tons more out there, surrounding them from all sides? When their curiosity peaked, they listened to their surroundings. For a moment, they heard nothing, aside from the blowing winds and the sounds of rustling. Maybe they really were safe, for now? Whatever the case may be for them, they lowered their guards for the night.

"Okay guys," Charles yawned. "I tink we should wrap dis up fer now." The other three pets were in relief, finally. "I mean, we may be only ten miles closer ta our home. But believe me, we keep pushin' ourselves, 'n we'll be dere before ya even know it."

Cliff positioned himself as comfortable as he can for the night. "I sure hope yer right about dis, dawg."

"Yeah, we're counting on you!" Geo laid amongst the feline, as Charles laid right next to the two."

Walt landed on top of the dog. "Once again, you got us into this mess, you get us out."

"Will ya not put pressure on me here?" Charles uneasily requested. "Now let's all get some rest here, we still got a long way ta go."

A beat ensued for a small fraction of their time. Before the whole party could rest their eyes and snooze the rest of the night away, they each said two words. "G'night." Charles smiled, as the trio gave their response.

"Good night, dog." Geo snoozed.

"Night, I guess." Walt immediately followed.

"Sweet dreams, ya guys..." Cliff elicited a wide yawn, before his sights finally laid to rest. The rest of the pets, one by one, their eyes came shut. Until the very next dawn of a new day, there's nothing in the world that they could worry about.

* * *

**A/N: And thus concludes Chapter 3. Already an adventure, huh? Will Charles, Cliff, Geo, and Walt be able to survive their long journey back to the Loud House? Will the Loud family find a way to get some kind of service to help find their missing pets? All this and plenty more to experience will be in the very next chapter. Until then, I'll see you guys soon!~**


	5. The Wildlife

**A/N: Hello once again. It's time to continue this journey! ****I'm sorry this took longer than I thought with the updates. From this point I guess I have to put out a chapter every day from this point, starting this coming Sunday. I sure hope that I can get super productive with this if I want to complete this year's National Novel Writing Month.**** R&R!**

Chapter V: The Wildlife

* * *

It was now the break of dawn. Birds were chirping away at the sight of the misty, orange skies. The trees shone from the sun rays touching them on the east side of the trunks. With empty skies and the impossibility of a chance of showers, today was a good day to continue the animals' long-lasting journey to finding their home.

The dog and the cat envisioned themselves in a bit of a dreamy situation. It's almost as if it was officially happening to them, right in front of their very eyes. Their dream comprised one fine looking lady of their respective species. Just the sight of them stole their hearts in a heartbeat. As romantic as they want to fulfill that dream, the two pets made their move.

A seductive purr ensued from Cliff. He sure liked what he observed. Charles' panting became raucous, glancing at his lady's body. Their eyes were taken over by big red hearts while several more floated on top of their heads.

They were in love.

With just two blinks of the mate of their dreams, they beckoned the love-struck animal with her finger. With a tiny smooch to top it off, Cliff's purring and Charles' playful growls became a reality. With his tail flicked, Cliff leaned in to give a smooch. Charles did the same, all while he playfully wagged his tail. Unbeknownst to both of the animals, they placed a kiss on the lips, giving a whole new meaning to a very common phrase.

The moment they opened their eyes, they both screamed their hearts out, jumping back from the startlement. Charles turned away, spitting at the ground while Cliff swiftly wiped his tongue off. However, they did inadvertently wake up Geo and Walt. The abrupt alarm they got made them cranky.

"Bleh!" Cliff spat. "What da heck was dat fer?"

The dog took offense. "What? Ya dare accuse me fer somethin' ya did?"

Cliff growled. "Ya tink I wanted yer sloppy mouth over mine?!"

Walt groaned. "What are you two, a thing now?"

"I figured you guys were more than just friends." Geo cleared his eyes off before he yawned.

Charles and Cliff awkwardly glanced at each other before the latter's face turned green. "C'mon now," The dog scoffed. "We're not a ting!"

The cat held his mouth shut as he swallowed. "Yeah, doan be weird like dat!"

The bird rolled his eyes indignantly. "Ugh, can't you two take a simple joke?"

"But dat's da ting bird, one simple ting ya do can explode into somethin' else!" Charles pointed out.

Cliff shrugged. "Even somethin' as innocent as huggin' someone."

The hamster rubbed down his arm. "Yeah... you know how the world works today."

Walt scoffed. "Oh come on! I'm pretty sure people won't lose their mind over something like that..." After a moment of complete silence of glancing towards the reader, the dog realized it was time to continue their journey. Looking off into the horizon in front of his very eyes, he took a few steps forward. He stood tall and proud, waiting for anything else that mother nature had to throw in their path.

"Now that we've gotten ourselves a good rest, it's time ta give mothuh nature our best!" Charles smiled confidently. The rest of the gang had noticed something, especially with something the dog spat from his mouth.

Geo's head slanted a bit. "Did... did you just make some kind of...?"

Looking back at the hamster, the dog's response was none other than; "Ya bet yer butt I did." He winked. "Now c'mon, let's git' a move on!"

With a determined nod, Cliff, Geo, and Walt soon followed the dog. The cat smacked his lips. He sure had a taste for something at such a specific hour of the day. Given that it was dawn, he figured that they could stop somewhere and get himself and the others something to satisfy their empty stomachs.

Breakfast.

"Eh, dawg," Cliff spoke up. "Maybe we oughta find somethin' ta eat. I'm starvin' here!"

"Dere's some kind of waterfall up ahead!" Charles pointed. "Hope ya guys are into some fish."

Walt and Geo stopped in their tracks as they both gave out a gulp. They awkwardly looked at each other before Cliff threw in some of his encouragement. "Doan worry guys. It's got some good sources of nutrition. Ya won't regret chowin' down on 'em."

"I sure hope so." Walt attempted to smile. "I'm trusting you on this."

"I guess I'll give some a shot, despite their... grody stench." The hamster gulped once more.

As they approached closer to the waterfall, the cat had a confident smile painted on his face. "Dat's da spirit, you two. It's gonna be great!"

* * *

Charles' paw was the first to contact the paced, flowing river. His peripheral vision shifted sideways, looking for some of that meaty goodness stranded out there. The quartet would be in luck. There was just a single fish, jumping in and out of the river. The dog gasped with excitement, while the rest would inevitably follow.

"Jackpot, fellas!" Charles rubbed his paws together while Cliff licked his lips.

"Hellooooo, food!" the feline flicked his tail quickly.

Walt scratched his head. "Are you guys sure about this..?" He along with Geo hadn't once experienced the taste of a live fish before. Charles might not have had a taste of it either, but heck, he was a dog that was willing to put his wet mouth on anything he could get it on.

"Yeah! I mean, we hafta eat somethin' right?" Charles shrugged.

Cliff put his paws on his hips. "What's da matter? Ya rather fall out from exhaustion and a growlin' stomach?"

That question had set the bird off. "So you can eat me and swallow me whole? No way!"

Cliff stared at the bird. A misunderstanding quickly ensued."First off, I ain't said a word about eatin' ya. And if I really wanted ta, I'd do it right now." He playfully punched the bird in his arm. "But I doan wanna, cause you 'n me are chill."

"Hey, talk later!" Geo warned, pointing at the fish, heading off into the distance. "Breakfast is getting away!" Charles positioned to his running position. He was the predator, desperate to catch a prey.

With determination filling him slowly, Charles' eyes slanted halfway. It's time for them to get down to business. "Alright pals, it's showtime!"

Charles began to sprint his way through the stream of river, his sights fixated on the fish. "Wait up!" Cliff joined in, following the dog from behind. He hopped on the dog and leaped into the air, landing a few feet in front of the fallen pup. Closing in on their food, the fish hopped up and let out a yelp. Reacting on impulse, it whiplashed the feline's unsuspecting face by its tail. It caught him off his guard, even knocking the poor cat off his feet.

The angry pup wasn't going to give up on any nutrition nature had for them without a fight. "Oh ho ho, ya tink yer so slick, eh?" Back on his feet while Cliff's eyes swirled around like a spinning disc, he resumed running after the fish. "I'll getcha one way or anothuh, if it's da last ting I do!" He hopped up to catch the fish. Losing his grip on the savage animal, he landed face-first into the river. He would eventually take notice that the word 'slick' was an understatement for his case.

Cliff was way in the zone to not let an opportunity such as this go down the drain. With his fast-paced agility, he tried to stop the fish right in its tracks. Determined, to put the trout in its place, he hissed. The mangy cat himself dug his claws into the fish and delivered a load of slaps to its face. The fish retaliated back with another tail whip. After the impact placed heavily on the cat, he grabbed it by the tail and flung it towards the unsuspecting dog. When Charles got back up on his feet, he got hit in the face by the hurled fish. It caused the dog to utter a whine before he wrassled with the beast.

Geo and Walt couldn't help themselves but omit a suspenseful cheer for their two animal friends. They were confident that the two pets knew what they were doing. Before the brave pup could put his mind to work, he flung it out of its natural habitat. It hit several rocks on the road made from dirt. As it staggered around, Cliff hopped up out of the river and clasped it down. It pained him more than it did the trout, but it's how it worked out in the wild. Animals had to rely on a food chain in order to survive.

Breathing its last bit of air, the feline backed off. Now they had something to satisfy their hunger for at least a few hours at best. As a smile ensued for the party of four, they all walked together to witness the felled fish. "We got us some grub ta eat!" Charles rubbed his paws together.

"About time too." Geo's head slanted.

"Never thought you guys would pull it off." Walt stared at the trout in his menacing nature, before Charles plucked a whisker off of Cliff, inflicting a painful meow before he rubbed his cheek.

"You could say dat again." The dog sneered. The feline had to retaliate as he flicked his nose. It made him yelp before he let out a whine.

"Doan evuh do dat ta me." Cliff uttered, preparing his claws before he slit the fish up into pieces. "Now, let's eat."

As they would expect, the hound and the prissy feline snarfed them down. It almost seemed like they haven't eaten in days with the way they were eating it. Geo was willing to give the fish a try, albeit he was nervous at first. He casually took a bite while Walt almost felt nauseated just watching the two animals scarf down the raw meat. "I think I'm gonna be sick…"

Cliff looked over to the bird. "C'mon now," he gulped. "Doan knock it 'til ya try it."

Charles threw in his two cents. "It ain't so bad once ya get used ta how it smells."

Walt just stood there for a moment while he raised an eyebrow. He wasn't quite sure what to think of his words, but he along with the cat was right about what they said. So with that, his vision centered on a piece of fish. He slowly unhinged his beak and clamped down on a small piece of pink meat. His three good pals took a glance at him as they patiently waited for his honest verdict.

.

.

.

"Oh boy," the bird reacted, licking his beak. "That's… not even half bad." When he stuffed his face into the rest of the meat, it became evident that Charles and Cliff had done their part. "The smell part I'll never get used to, but this is a good source of protein."

"You bet it is," Cliff pet the bird's head. "Told ya it'd be good."

"I can't believe we took out a fish just to eat it up." The hamster looked up towards the empty sky.

The hound shrugged. "Hey, dat's nature fer ya." He grabbed another chunk of fish meat and threw it in his gaping mouth. "We hafta eat somethin' or we'll fall out from exhaustion and uh… er… how can I suguhcoat dis word here…"

"Ya doan hafta," Cliff spat. "Just leave it at dat and let's git a move on!"

The hamster and the bird wiped off their faces. "I'm full." Geo spoke. "For now…" Walt added. There were still more fish to devour down. With just the remaining slices left, Charles and Cliff shared a glance.

"Ah, more fer us!" They said together, before grabbing the remaining meat and scarfed them down. Their rambunctious chewing gave Walt a reason to cringe as well as Geo.

"Uh, ever thought about taking your precious time eating that stuff?" the bird asked.

The two paused. "Well, we could," Charles lifted a paw. "But we doan wanna," Cliff concluded before they resumed eating. By the time the two pets were finished, they too wiped off their mouths. "Alright, let's get goin'."

Charles gave off a determined smirk. "Yeah, we've got a lotta miles ahead of us, so many smells ta sniff, and a huge opportunity ta prove we can give it our best! If we could pull off so many tings before, den dis should be a real breeze!"

With no more growls omitting from their stomachs, everything seemed to be going well for the Loud's little house pets. Each of the animals' stride got back into action as they headed to the horizon straight ahead. And with that, their long journey resumed.

* * *

Just another mile closer to their destination, they discovered a river, It rushed across the dark stones, which led to a steep waterfall. The stream happened to be swift too, it looked like it'd be enough to get them all washed away. This was their very first obstacle of the day. The four pets stood around as they tried to figure out what they should do.

"Oh great, a flowing river," Walt rolled his eyes.

"Oh no… looks kinda dangerous…" Geo inched behind the leader of the pack.

Cliff turned to the dog. "What do we do, dawg?"

Charles scratched at his chin, his eyes slanting halfway shut as he glanced up. "Hmm… We hafta find a way across." He looked back to his pals. "Find a tree trunk in da water 'n see if it's long enough fer us."

The search was on. Cliff's peripheral view shifted left and right, Walt sluggishly circled around while Geo jumped on top of Charles. He searched around as if he was an amateur pirate. Not a single animal had any dice for a moment.

Cliff shrugged. "I got nothin." Walt did the same. "No dice here." Geo sighed, throwing his head down. "There's no trunk out there for us."

"Maybe you guys have to walk across?" The bird suggested, much to the dismay of the white mutt.

"Now how da heck do ya tink we can just walk across dis here streamin' river?" He crossed his arms. "Ya hafta be kiddin' me wit' dis."

"Well, do we have a choice?" Cliff threw his paws to his side. "How else are we gonna git past dese roarin' waves?"

Geo waved his arms around. "Don't forget me, I don't want to drift away from you guys."

Charles looked down at the side of the stream. Clearly, they left it all down to the pooch to figure something out. Thinking of something, he turned to Walt. Already having a feeling about what he'll ask him to do made him feel uneasy.

"Oh no, I'm not lifting you guys across! No way!" His eyes slanted. "It's not possible—"

"I wasn't gonna ask ya ta do dat!" Charles interrupted. He had another way. It could hold some bit of potential. For him and especially for the sake of his friends, it could be so crazy, that it might just work out. "But, I have a plan!"

Like a totem pole, the pets stacked themselves on top of each other. The dog of course was on the bottom. Geo was nervous about the plan, almost as if he had an issue with it. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Trust me on dis, Ham," Charles kept his confidence. "Sometimes, ya just gotta say 'what da heck' 'n go fer it!"

The cat, the bird, and the hamster shared a gulp before they uttered three words altogether; "What the heck?" The dog took a step forward and entered the flowing river. He thought that a little bit of combined weight would at least be enough to keep their ground. Charles was the biggest of the four, so of course, he was the least likely to get washed up.

"Is it just me, or is the river starting to get more powerful than I thought?" The cat looked away from the river flow. Waves were beginning to crash onto the rocks as well as the stacked animals. At this point, Charles' friends had every reason to either panic or lash out at him. This wasn't a smart idea in their minds, but once more, the pup kept pushing further. "We're halfway through! We can do dis! Just hang in dere!"

Lost in his concentrated but incompetent mind, the dog inadvertently slipped on a rock in front of him. Geo screamed as he lost hold of the cat from the result, causing him to land into the water. "Help!" The hamster's head switched from above and under the water, fighting his way to keep breathing in air. "Somebody! Help!"

Charles and Cliff let out a gasp while Walt felt obliged to do a facepalm. He could literally tell something like that was coming their way. As Geo drifted off into the horizon, Charles got back on his feet and looked to the bird. "Bird, get dat hamstuh before it's too late! We'll keep tryin' ta cross dis ting!"

"Okay, but you owe me for doing this!" Walt flew as quick as he could, trying to catch up to the hamster. "Ham! Try to keep your head above the water!"

"No need to tell me twice!" Geo lifted his paw up. The two had their nerves skyrocket as they soon approached a waterfall. Oh no. This wasn't getting good. The hamster let out a scream once again just before the bird would do the same. "Hurry!"

"Grab on!" Walt extended his wing out. To his best efforts, Geo kept lifting his paw up. Having a feeling that they were close to the fall, the hamster's eyes quickly came shut. By this point, the hound and the feline had the courage to finish crossing the river. Geo was just inches from the edge, having Charles and Cliff's heart race. Falling off with an audible scream, Walt grabbed him by his foot at the last possible second.

"Huh?" The hamster's eyes widened up.

"I got you! Hold on!" Walt could barely lift the small animal, given he only had one wing to fly. With his hardest effort to exert for his friend, he sluggishly lifted him over to the dog and the cat. They sighed with great relief as they grabbed them both for a hug.

"You okay dere?" Charles wrung him off dry. Geo could barely lend his answer. "Yeah—ow!"

"Thank goodness." Cliff responded, wiping off his forehead.

"Yeah, dat was close!" Charles set the hamster down. "Nice save dere, bird."

"Eh, don't mention it." Walt's mood wasn't enlightened in the slightest to them. He knew that this would've been avoided if the mutt would just come up with a better plan that would've led to a more fitting outcome. Since he's counting on Charles and he didn't want to upset him at the time, he had to keep his anger to himself. "Now come on, let's keep going."

"Right." Charles agreed. Before they moved a single muscle after that, a grizzly little cub approached the party. It's curiosity immensely boosted as it laid eyes on the bird, before it shifted to the dog. With his head slanted, he deciphered Charles. It's sudden appearance spooked the pooch, as well as the cub itself.

"Oh no!" Geo gasped. "It's a bear!"

Walt's expression shifted to annoyance for the hamster. "We all know what it is, captain obvious."

"We hafta git our butts outta here!" Cliff suggested in a panic. He shook as if he could barely handle a cold atmosphere such as the great outdoors.

Charles stared at the cub at an intense manner. He was curious about the baby animal but at the same time, he was cautious. "Alright youse, ya know how dis works." He walked closer to the cub. "I sniff ya, ya sniff me."

Walt had to ask the hound a question out of sincerity. "Uh… why?"

"Cause dis is how animals communicate!" Charles answered genuinely. The cub curiously huffed at his face. Oh my, Charles didn't like that. "Hey, I'm supposed to do dat ta youse first!"

The cub snorted at him before the hound shook his head. It went for the feline now. His nerves were beginning to push its limits once again. "Hey hey hey!" For the sake of protection, the cat scratched at its face and gave him a hiss.

From the pain, the cub began to bawl out for his mother. The pets were on the verge of letting their scared expressions take over their face. As the poor ursine left them be, Charles turned to the angered cat. "What da heck was dat fer?"

"Hey, yer outta yer mind if ya tink dis cat here's made fer gettin' sniffed at. Dat makes me uncomfortable!" Cliff poked at the pup's wet nose.

"To be honest, I-I wouldn't like that either." Geo shyly added.

"Bah, ya big wussies." The dog brushed them off. "How do ya tink I know all of youse more den any othuh animal?"

Cliff, Geo, and Walt stood there speechless. Already concluding with their assumptions, they all cringed at the dog, slowly backing away from him. "I dunno 'bout ya, dawg."

"Is personal space even a thing to you anymore?" The bird blushed, before another bear would approach the party from behind. Taking notice of the beast, the three backed away even further without even uttering a sound.

"Hey, don'tcha dare single me out like dat! Dis is what nature intended fer us!" He wondered what they were looking at just by looking at their eyes. Assuming something crept up to him, he slowly turned around. "It ain't like what I do as a pup is—" His view locked onto a big grizzly bear, that happened to be the mother of the attacked cub. Charles immediately gulped in fear. "Bad!" He tapped his fingers together as an awkward smile ensued. "Eh hehe… hello..." With nothing else they could do, there was only one option that clicked in their unique minds as she gave out a blaring roar to the four animals.

"Run!" Charles zipped from the beast before his pals would soon follow in his steps. The chase was on. A high speed one at that. First, the aggressive ursine hunted the hamster and the bird down, since they happened to move slower than the two animals. Geo's heart pumped as his sights laid on the bear. Walt on the other hand, was quick to spit out his plan to Geo. What has it not worked for them before?

"Split up!" The bird and the hamster jumped in the opposite direction. What they didn't expect to happen was that the bear continued sprinting forward. It was after the cat and the dog now. "Oh geez."

Geo called out to Charles and Cliff. "Watch out! It's after you now!" The two quickly looked back to find the bear approaching fast and as crude as ever. The cat turned to the frightened hound. "Do somethin' dawg!"

Heading towards a tree that stood in their path, Charles let out a growl. "Doan worry," His eyes came halfway shut. "Just follow my lead!"

As the animals approached the tree at a swift rate, the dog uttered out a howling battle cry. Cliff was confused with what he was doing, but eventually, he won't. When he darted to the right, the feline did the same in the opposite direction. The bear didn't have any time to react as she crashed into the tree in front of her. A slip to the ground and the round belonged to the Loud's pets.

Charles and Cliff came together for a high five as the smaller duo joined in on their quick celebration. "Good thinking, dog!" The bird complimented, as the feline patted the hound on his head. "Never thought bears like dat can be so dim-witted!" He couldn't help himself but let out some laughs. Unfortunately, the cat shouldn't have done that. Offended, the bear got back up on her feet and immediately snapped. With a growl and a big snort, she laid her sights on the smart cat as he gulped.

Cliff's ears fell flat. "Was it somethin' I said..?" His feedback was three silent nods from his peers as they stepped back from the angered beast.

From his own sincerity, Geo wanted to step up and ask for a request to the angry bear. "Excuse me ma'am, would you mind giving us a five-second headstart—"

But the bear cut him off with her roaring before she charged after them once again. The party of four uttered a yelp before they bolted into the forest. There had to be something they could do to put the ursine in her place.

Luckily for them, they'd manage to whip up a plan. They used some parts of the forest as their contraption as their determined smiles got more noticeable. Not long after, the dog found a steep hill as he departed from his pals to put their collaborative idea in progress. A few minutes later, Charles waited with a boulder he managed to find on the edge of the slanted hill. It was heavy enough for him to get the job done, in hopes it'll take the bear out. "Done my part." He scoped out his surroundings trying to locate the cat and the others. "Now where's everybody at?"

The three arrived just yards away from the trap. The cat out of the rest was the most exhausted. As they paused to catch their breath, the bear appeared from their distance. With their attention caught thanks to his audible roar, the bear charged once again. The three pets screamed before they turned to Charles to perform his cue.

"Now, dawg!" Cliff called out. The boulder didn't move an inch. They all wondered why, until their sight witnessed the dog happily chasing around a butterfly.

"Ooh, I'll getcha, precious lil' ting," Charles panted, playfully hopping around as if he was a frog. "Come ta poppa!"

Frightened, Walt and Geo had to cry out to him before they had no choice but to head towards the big rock. "Dog!"

The wholesome insect landed peacefully in the center of the boulder. With his tail wagging, Charles made his jump. When it caused the butterfly flew away, the dog crashed in the boulder as it rolled down the hill. Cliff, Geo, and Walt felt their heart jump as it approached towards them all. They had to act fast.

The three animals jumped out of harm's way, causing the boulder to ram right into the unsuspecting mother bear. Even after the impact, she rolled down the slanted hill along with it. Eventually, she would crash into the ground at the bottom. The ursine herself was definitely defeated. Victory belonged to the pets.

And with that, it was a good time to do a small celebration. The animals cheered in their own little way, without even a care in the world. "Ain't dat satisfyin'?" Charles chuckled.

"Sure is, I ain't gonna lie about dat." Cliff winked.

Geo was the most relieved out of all his companions. "I can't believe we pulled that off either! I thought we were gonna become brunch!"

"Yeah, I've already been eaten before by the mutt and the puss," Walt crossed his wings with a smile, much to their offended reaction. "But I'd be darned if it's a huge beast like that one."

The dog hugged his pals. "Well, at least we're all still standin' here!" He stopped his hugging and turned to the horizon. "And speakin' of standin', we hafta git a move on like we intended!" With the compliments done and out of the way, It was time for them to continue their travel. As the pact would expect to occur sooner or later, the dog's stomach growled again. It caused his peers to elicit a groan. "Doan worry, I'll live." He rebutted. "We ain't got da time ta waste."

After that comment, the four animals headed off towards their home. There were still over seventy-five miles left for them to walk from this point. It might last a long time and feel like it'll drag on forever, but if they keep their heads up and think of their positives, nothing would deter them from failure.

* * *

**A/N: The pets' journey's far from over and the Loud family's gonna get an update on how they're trying to cope without them. Will the pets get something to eat... again? Will the family find a way to get any help? Anyway, with that said and done, please wish me luck and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**


	6. The Tension

**A/N: Howdy. There's not much to say for this one, it's time to get another chapter on the road! R&R!**

* * *

Chapter VI: The Tension

On the cruise ship the family's been looking forward to for a while now, nobody seemed to have a good time. With gloom affecting everyone, especially towards Lana herself, their cruise wasn't as fun as they thought it would be. A depressing sigh had ensued for them all. Without their beloved animals to play with, who would want to do something to fill their empty void?

Desperate to put a plan into action, Lori and the older siblings mingled around the ship, in hopes of receiving at least one bar. From the front of the ship to all the way back, not a single sibling could manage to get just _one_, even just for a minute.

"I can't find anything, dudes." Luna shrugged.

"I got nothing." Lynn rolled her eyes.

"Sorry guys, looks like there's no service out here," Luan crossed her arms, only for a sincere towel boy to step up to them and lend them an offer.

He unveiled some hot towels. "Care to be of service?"

"Bad timing, sir." The joker pushed the man out of the way.

Lori sighed before her cell phone cut off. No luck for the eldest teen. "It's literally hopeless."

Unbeknownst to the family, the beaut of the siblings did have one bar of service. Knowing how much of a ditz she can be at times, she had no idea what it was when she glanced at it. "Um.. hey Lori, what's this little block on the top of my phone?" She pointed at the top of her phone.

Lori and the others were quick to perform a gasp. Turns out, there was at least some bit of service out in the open water. "Wait, you got a bar?"

Leni's head slanted in confusion. "Huh? I don't remember having a bar..? Do I really have one somewhere?"

Lori grabbed her phone. "No Leni," She glanced at it before bringing her head back a bit. "This means we can make a call to that terrible airline service and given them a piece of our mind!"

"I'm all in for that!" Lola deviously spat, clenching her fists in before the rest of the siblings would come to an agreement as well.

Rita was getting worried, and so was the husband. "You guys… I don't think we have to do something like this."

"But we're pretty sure they had something to do with Charles and the others!" Lana was convinced. "I'm devastated that something bad might've happened to them!"

"Or… I know this might sound bizarre to you guys," Lincoln nervously scratched his head as everyone glanced to the boy. "But, who's to say that the pets managed to get themselves out of the cage? I mean, they're smart and all, but—"

"Lincoln, that's the most bizarre thing I've ever heard!" Lana retorted, throwing her hands out. "I really doubt they can be capable of doing stuff like that."

"Yet Charles was the one that taught you how to use your nose." Lola reminded with a small boop on her twin's nose.

Remembering something in her past, Lisa stepped in. "Now, I think I might have an explanation for that."

Lola's suspicions grew. "...So you did do something to our pets after all?"

Lisa adjusted her glasses. "Now, I had nothing to do with our animalias." She glanced to each one of her siblings. "Frankly, I wish to clarify that I'm not in favor of any theories that anyone thinks might have happened, but I would like to inform you fellow siblings with my two cents…" She placed her hands in her pockets. "Which I unfortunately do not have."

With that, Lincoln dug into his pockets for something. Coincidentally, he had two pennies on him from purchasing a beverage earlier in the day. With his eyes set on the toddler scientist, his hands quickly drove back into his pockets.

"Well, where's your two cents?" Lynn asked, growing impatient.

"My two cents is that, these animalias might have been exposed to a certain experiment I was constructing without my knowledge, which might explain this strange amplitude in their intelligence." The little scientist tapped the floor as she caressed her chin. "But I still wonder if this led to them knowing how to steal stuff, because one time I found my slide projector in Charles' doghouse. If I still had my security cameras that we didn't destroy over a year ago, they would explain a whole lot."

Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "So this could mean that my theory is true?"

Confidently, Lisa answered with "Not exactly, but it is a strange possibility. So be open-minded for me and let's not all jump to conclusions—"

"Hey bub!" Lola spoke loud and clear into Leni's phone, catching everyone in the family off their guard. "You bet I have a problem with you guys, thinking you can get away with the f—"

Out of impulse, Lincoln snatched the phone from the boiling fashion twin before he spoke into the phone. "Sorry about that, wrong number!" He hung up and darted towards Lola. "What the heck was that?"

She sighed. "I'm sorry, I just feel really bad for Lana."

While the family still had a bar of service, thank goodness, the man with a plan himself had an idea. Quick to assume it'll work out fine, he dialed the phone to call his best friend, Clyde. "C'mon please pick up."

"Alright, who are you calling sport?" Lynn Sr. spoke to him.

Lincoln remained calm. Although he was nervous, he turned to his father. "Trust me, Dad. I know what I'm doing."

Not even a second to spare, his friend spoke to him over the phone. "Hey Leni!"

The boy cupped the phone to his ear. "Clyde, it's Lincoln! I need your help!"

"You're calling Clyde at a time like this?" Lola spat.

Lincoln backed up. "Not much time. We took our pets with us to relax on this cruise and they ended up missing! So, I need you to make a couple of flyers and hopefully they're still safe and sound back at Royal Woods!"

Sympathy filled his friend. "Ouch bud, I hope they'll turn out okay. But ...don't worry, I'm on it!" Before Lincoln could respond again, the connection unexpectedly dropped. They were left with no bars once again. Nobody was surprised in the slightest, almost like they knew this was going to ensue at some point. So with that, they all inevitably sighed. "Honestly, that's not even a bad idea on what you just did, Lincoln." Lucy commented.

Lana began to sit down and curl up into a ball. Her sadness expanded as her pupils grew big. She almost wanted to cry, thinking that she'll never lay her eyes on the family pets another day. Just the sight of her twin beating herself up like that influenced her to walk over to her and pet her.

"Come on Lana, we can get through this." Lola comforted. "We've been away from Charles, Cliff, Geo, and Walt a lot of times before. But you don't see them worrying about us!"

* * *

"I've nevuh been so worried in my life!" Charles glanced to his left and right. They were only a third of the way home by this point. Their legs experienced some excruciating pain. Their strides slowed to the pace of a tortoise. The cat wasn't kidding when he mentioned that walking was a painful exercise. "My boy, dat kid, I wonduh if dey're alright."

"Will ya calm yerself," Cliff panted. "I'm sure dey're bettuh off den us. Heck, I'm willin' ta bet dey're havin' da time of dere lives on dat trip.

Geo almost fell forward from exhaustion. "I'm so tired… tired of walking."

"I really wish I could feel you on that one, Ham." Walt glanced to Geo. "Why don't you just jump on the dog or the cat? I'm sure they won't mind?"

Without even putting in any thought, Geo hopped on the feline's back. His action caused him to roll his eyes in annoyance. "Tanks fer da suggestion, bird." Cliff glanced upward.

"Yeah, don't mention it." Walt looked ahead. The first thing the pets noticed was that the trees were clearly decreasing in their numbers. They were almost at an open field once again. There was even a cabin up ahead of them, much to their relief. It gave them all a smile. Their first response was like they'd never thought a specific day would come to them, at such a quick pace as well.

"Ah! About time!" Charles sprinted outside of the crowded trees.

"Hey dawg, wait fer us!" The cat followed him from behind along with the avian. As they reached the front door they stopped to wonder how they were going to greet themselves. Whether it was simply knocking on the door, or ringing their doorbell, the final verdict was all down on the dog.

Charles laid his paws out in front of him. "Alright now, here's what we're gonna do." He pointed to the cat as Geo hopped off of him. "You, git under dis here doorbell."

"Alright." Cliff did so without missing a beat. Charles walked to him and hopped on top of his back. The cat gave off a loud meow as he could barely even stand. He began to strain himself for the hound, given how heavy he is to him. "Hey uh… evuh thought about droppin' a few meals?"

"Youse be quiet!" Charles stretched himself out, hoping he could reach the doorbell. Walt felt the urge to intervene, but instead, he'd rather stay back and watch the hilarity that would ensue in a moment. He wouldn't mind watching a dumb mutt like him in his own point of view just this once.

When Charles jumped, barely even a few inches off the cat, his paw grazed the button to the doorbell before he crashed into Cliff. Their eyes rolled around as a result. Walt couldn't help but burst out his laughing. He had a strange feeling that Charles would somehow mess this up. "Good grief, you dumbo." Walt flew to the doorbell. "I'm just going to assume that you forgot all about me." His beak poked the doorbell, and the sound of ringing was omitted.

Geo smirked at the dog and the cat. "And I thought you were smart."

"Oh shut yer trap, Ham." Charles got up and gave off an innocent smile at the door. The others stood there clueless for a moment. Did the dog want them to do the same thing? "Git over here 'n smile at da door!"

Without a second to spare, his pals joined in with him and gave off the best smile they could showcase. Unfortunately for them, nobody came to open the door. Five minutes had passed for them already, and their jaws were starting to hurt. "Dawg, I doan tink somebody's comin'." Cliff awkwardly glanced to the hound.

The avian was close to blowing a fuse. "You mean to tell me you got me smiling like this for nothing?" He stopped showing off his smile and quickly shifted to a frown. "I swear to god, don't make me do that again."

Geo's smile shifted to the same expression as Walt's, albeit more neutral. "Maybe they're out and about somewhere? I suggest we try another house."

"Nah, I've got a bettuh idear," Charles deviously smiled, rubbing his paws together. To his own curiosity, the bird demanded a follow up. "...And that is?"

With a window cracked open by a rock, the four pets hopped inside the interior. Feeling proud of himself, the dog smirked and crossed his arms. Cliff on the other hand along with Geo didn't think it was necessary, but Walt did. "I like the way you think." The bird complimented.

"Well we don't!" Cliff and Geo spat simultaneously.

"Who cares?" Charles brushed off. "Least whatevuh's in here's fair game fer us!" He was right. With a whole house to themselves, they used their time to start their own exploration. Geo curiously looked around the interior of the living room while Walt flew around and examined the place. Cliff decided to get lazy for a moment and lay down for a quick snooze session.

Charles' nose led him to a fridge in the same room. "I'm already gettin' somethin'." As he got his paws of the big container, he inhaled deeply on it. I had him deviously smiling before he grabbed the handle, revealing the contents inside. What it held inside had the dog's eyes open up wide, in a positive way… a bunch of leftover dinner. From casserole to spaghetti, to even a pot pie, Charles began to salivate. Smacking his lips, he couldn't help but utter just a few words. "Helllloooo, precious!" Joined in by his other pals, he smiled along with them.

"Dis is already gettin' good." Cliff rubbed his paws together.

"I can't believe we broke into someone's cabin just to munch on their food." Geo glanced down before looking back up. "But seriously, what choice do we have?"

Walt's eyes were fixated on some of the food. "I call dibs on the pie!"

Without even having to hesitate, the four pets dug their snouts into the day-old human delicacies. Munch after munch, their stomachs were getting satisfied. Right down to the last bite, they ended their lunch with one last gulp for a while. Charles belched as the others licked off the excess of the food. With not a care for the world, the pets did something they weren't supposed to be doing. But, for the sake of getting back home and still be able to stand for another day, who could blame them?

"Now dat hit da spot." The dog rubbed his stomach.

"Whoever owns this place sure knows how to cook." Walt preened himself, slurping off the juices of the pie.

Cliff gave a smile as he glanced to the bird. "For once, I hafta agree wit' da bird on dis one."

Geo elicited a small hiccup. "Same here."

Before they could even get a chance to relax for just a moment, the sound of a rattling door ensued. Caught off their guard, the pets jumped. Their hearts raced as the doorknob continued to rustle.

"Cheese it! Somebody's home!" Geo trembled.

Cliff got a gulp in. "What are we gonna do?"

"Now what kinda silly question is dat?" Charles looked confused before he sprinted to a hiding spot, under the couch. "Ya know what ta do!"

When the door began to creak open, Cliff, Geo, and Walt glanced all around as swiftly as possible. Confident about finding a place to hide, they all sprinted just like the canine. As they were gone from the public eye, a lone man entered his cabin. He looked to be in his middle ages of an average lifespan, along with a bit of a filthy stench from doing his hard work out in the open fields. The first thing he noticed upon entering back into his residence was a broken window. How did that happen?

"What the…" He picked up the rock that broke the window. A scoff and a drop of the item later, he placed his gaze towards the kitchen. Maybe it was nothing he needed to worry about. But he was in the mood for some leftover food he had. The second after he opened his fridge, his heart pulsated hard. His food was all gone. "Consarn it, those darn whippersnappers." He shook a fist. This was most definitely a straw the animals pulled. He was angry. "Dumb animals, gettin' on my nerves with this tomfoolery."

The hostile human cracked his knuckles. He had to do something about this. As he reached out for a shotgun, the sound of it getting cocked ensued. Oh no. This was bad. Each and every pet from the Louds shifted to shock and fear. They quivered in their hiding places, praying that the dude never finds them. Geez, this was something they didn't see coming at all.

"Mark my words, if you're still in here… I'll personally take you out!" The man uttered. It's like a promise that he'll keep for a long while. The way the animals see it, it was some dangerous words that he lived by. As he walked around inside his cabin, his floorboard made a creek, causing the scared Charles to lift his head and have it bumped. The impact was slightly rough. He bit his tongue as he tried to his best efforts not to give himself away. Cliff could barely even think after noticing the man's weapon from under the table. Geo and Walt hugged each other as they hid behind a broomstick. Terrified of getting caught, their nervous sweating started to ensue.

While the man scoped around his cabin, dust particles were inhaled by the Charles' sensitive nostrils. His noisy sniffing grew more present before he tried to stop himself from sneezing to no avail. Grazing his nose with his finger, stress filled him slightly. With his stealth completely dwindling now, he inevitably sneezed. It immediately caught the man's attention as he looked at his couch. He knew that's where the sound originated from. Looking under the couch as he crouched down, his gaze focused on the whimpering hound. He grew furious. He had found his culprit.

"You… mangy animal!" he showed off two barrels to the dog. With ears and his tail drooped down, it looked like the poor pup was a goner. Cliff, Geo, and Walt had to act as fast as they can to stop the man. As the man put his hand on the trigger, he had only a few words left to say to the whining dog as he covered his face. "You'll pay for my delicacy..."

Before he could do anything else, Walt's beak penetrated one cheek on the man's rear end. With the painful sensation, he yelled as his weapon fell to the ground. Lucky enough for Charles, it didn't go off. He used this as an opportunity to get the heck out of dodge. When Walt pulled out of the man's butt, he flew to his head and pecked him at his cranium. Cliff and Geo used that time to follow Charles outside at a gallop, never mind that he wasn't smart enough to close the door in the first place.

The man tried to swat the bird away with barely any success. Too tired to poke at his head some more, Walt flew out of the cabin through the window. With a failed grab, the man was furious. "Gosh dang it. You come back here!" He angrily wailed a fist. Walt retaliated with a raspberry and a finger before he caught up with the rest of his friends.

Too tired from running after eating somebody's food, the four animals stopped to get some rest. It's almost like having to wait for a half-hour before they can hop in the water for a little swim. Their breathing switched to their mouths with tongues rolled out. The leftover food exhausted them faster than they thought.

"Dat was a close one... fer sure." Cliff fell forward from his exhaustion.

"That was… pretty interesting." Walt landed on the cat's head.

"Maybe... breaking into some...body's house wasn't... a good idea after all." Geo exhaled, wiping his forehead off.

The dog looked to the hamster. "It's either dat… or we end up… starvin'."

"We could've kissed your butt goodbye!" Geo madly walked up to the dog.

"Had it not been for me." Walt added before he looked away blushing. "Though I can't believe that I really had to do that."

"I'll admit, it was a good idea at da time bein'..." Cliff shrugged as he gave off an awkward smile.

The bird couldn't even glare at the cat. "Oh shut it."

There's not much more the pets had to say to each other, at least they were no longer famished. However, as they glanced around for a bit, they all noticed an apple tree. Only problem was, there was only one of them in full bloom, getting ready to fall at any minute. There went another kind of food they could've eaten instead. Walt just had to tear into the dog again after there was an alternative all along.

"So, you mean to tell me, we could've eaten some apples instead of that dude's leftovers?" Walt threw a wing out before Cliff and Geo raised an eyebrow towards the pooch. "In all honesty, that junk he had was pretty nasty."

"Hey, I nevuh said ya had ta eat whatever dat crazy hooligan had on him." Charles retorted, gesturing at the bird to stop. "So doan go blowin' yer steam off on me ovuh dis, okay?"

With that said, stomachs started rumbling. Looks like those leftovers that belonged to the cabin weren't sitting with with them. Sans Charles, the pets began to groan. "Gosh, what did that guy put in his food?" Geo held his stomach.

Cliff's face turned green. "Oh no, I tink I hafta…" He held his mouth shut with his paw before his eye twitched one time.

Walt felt a sensation coming from behind. His feet briskly stomped at the ground before he started flying again. "I have to go paint something!"

Before Charles could budge an inch, his three pals zipped behind a bush to relieve themselves. The dog smirked as he looked towards the reader. "Jokes on dem, I already did my bidness before we made our way here." He chuckled before an apple fell on his head. "Ow!" As he soothed his head from pain, he looked at the piece of fruit laying there in front of him. It was a specific type of apple that had such an appealing name. The apple in question wasn't a big macintosh, or an ordinary red delicious one; It was a pink lady apple.

Charles' head slanted from his curious mind. He leaned forward to the apple and examined it at such a close proximity. His sights shifted to a wet passing tongue brushing against the apple. As he got a taste of it for the first time, it made him smile.

"Wow! Dat's a fine apple right dere!" The dog didn't hesitate to sink his teeth into that beauty. He sucked in the juices of the pink lady, savoring it's magnificent flavor before he licked his lips. "Such a darlin'... so juicy… so delicious…" He snuggled the fruit. "I wish I could marry ya."

Hearts floated around the canine like he was being seduced. An apple of all things? Who could blame him, really? He was a dog that'll unconditionally love anything. As he snuggled up the pink fruit, his pals would return back to meet up with him. They started glancing uncomfortably at him as if something was wrong. Charles took note of them, as he would replicate the same reactions given toward him. "What?"

"You wouldn't mind calming yourself down about that apple, right?" Geo asked nicely.

"Yeah, you're kinda creeping me out with that." Walt added.

Cliff looked to his two smaller companions. "S'wrong wit' dat? It's just an apple—" His ears perked up. Realization hit his head as he leaned forward. "Is dat a pink lady?"

Charles head slanted from confusion. "What are ya talkin' about? What pink lady?"

"Yer eatin' one right now! From what I heard, dese babies got some flavor, dat sexy colorin'," His eyes were just a foot away from the fruit. "And dat hot appearance!" He picked up the fruit. "Who wouldn't wanna eat dis masterpiece up?"

Geo and Walt shook their heads. Despite their confusion, they couldn't see what the big deal is in the first place. "So now you're getting descriptive?" Walt raised an eyebrow. "Is that what we're doing now?"

A beat of silence took place before the hamster had a sudden craving after using the bathroom. "Is it bad… that I wanna eat that lady too?"

Charles took back his apple. "Dis here's my lady. Now go git yer own!" His paw raised up. "And besides, I already licked it all ovuh."

"Who cares?" Walt prepared himself to take flight. "My curiosity's peaking at a fast rate! Give me that fruit!" He darted towards the apple before his impact knocked it out the dog's paw.

Bullseye. As everyone would've guessed, the bird plummeted to the ground. With his beak stuck, he struggled to set himself free. That is, until the dog simply flicked him off the piece of fruit. Charles licked his lips again as he picked the apple up again. Cliff responded with a vicious meow as he bashed his head. The hard impact caused him to faint before dropping the apple.

The feline's eyes switched to apples as he gazed upon it. As he got ready to bite down on the apple, Geo bit down on his tail. Cliff meowed loudly as the apple was thrown into the air before the quirky hamster set himself up to catch it with his stubby paws. The apple fell and crushed him underneath before it bounced off and rolled away. Given that there was only one apple from where they found it, the pets glared at each other before they all went after it.

Drag after drag, and swinging paws, they each took turns fumbling the apple. It picked up some dirt as it made contact with the ground several times. Edibility began dwindling at a fast rate. With one last knock out the dog's paw, it rolled away once again. As the four pets chased after it, when they least expected it, a fast eagle swooped down and snatched it with its talons. The sudden surprise had them yelp a bit as they came to a screeching halt. As the pets observed the majestic bird fly away with the only apple they could find, they all gave each other an angry glare.

"Nice going, mutt." Walt's sarcastic remark had Charles give off a growl.

"Da heck are ya blamin' me fer?" The dog made a fist as his face got angrier than the bird's. "Ya just had ta interfere wit' my bidness. Yer just lucky I ain't havin ya fer dinnuh!"

"Well, this wouldn't have happened if you weren't being a selfish little..." Geo scratched his head. "Uh... What was that word again?"

"Whatevuh dat word is," Cliff turned to Charles. "Ya know dat Ham's right!"

Charles took a deep breath, in hopes of calming down. "Alright alright, let's chill out a bit here." He shrugged as he slightly shook his head sideways. "We shouldn't hafta cause a big ruckus ovuh a piece 'o fruit. It ain't like it's da only one left in da entire world." He crossed his heart. "I swear on my life, dat ain't nothin' out dere dat'll cause a rift between us as pals."

The moment he finished speaking, winds began to pick up. At high speeds, the gang's concern slightly began to increase immensely. What if the winds were enough to blow somebody away? In which case, the question was about to become a reality. With everybody quivering, they all closed their eyes and held paws, wishing it'll all blow over, no pun intended.

It lasted for over a few minutes now. As if it couldn't get worse than just heavy winds, they had Geo and Walt levitating off the ground. The speed of the weather reached the point where it was able to pick up any rocks and sticks. The two helpless animals screamed. They were about to be blown away. The only thing Charles could do was keep his grip. "Hold on ya guys!"

Geo whimpered. "We're... trying!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Walt gulped. The dog tried his absolute best to not lose his grip on the bird's wings. Luck didn't seem to be in favor of the dog in his case. A stray rock placed a hard impact on the hound's paw. It was enough to make him let go of Walt against his will. "Uh oh..." With a final scream from the bird and the hamster and a shocking gasp from all before it died down, Charles and Cliff cried out to them.

"Ham!" Charles yelled.

"Bird!" Cliff added.

With a twinkle in the sky, Geo and Walt were gone. Charles' ears dropped down as he whined sadly. Cliff's head threw down in an instant. They couldn't believe this had to happen to them. Feeling the regret from within, Cliff patted the saddened hound on his back.

"Oh no..."

* * *

**A/N: There goes the sixth chapter. I'm getting nervous just writing this as we speak. But once again, whatever happens next will definitely have me just as surprised as you guys reading this right now. Whether or not I'll hit 50k words by the end of this week, I had fun trying this out for the first time, and that's what really matters with writing. Will Charles and Cliff ever cross paths with Geo and Walt after the storm, and will Lincoln's little plan work out with Clyde? All that and more is coming up in the next chapter!**


	7. The Child

**A/N: Man, if it weren't for these one-shots I have to put out each weekend, I would've been about 10k away from completing National Novel Writing Month by now. That would be about 12.5k more words to contribute to this novel. Anyway, enough beating myself down, New chapter, new possibilities. Let's keep this show going on the road! R&R!**

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Chapter VII: The Child

Nightfall arose while the two parties were separated from the forest. Their journey was only a fourth done and already something had to cause a rift between them. Of course, nobody ended up looking good after it. Who would, anyway? They all wanted to blame themselves for having their bonds escalate to this. Whatever must have happened, the pets from big to small hope they could reunite again. Although they all have to walk around aimlessly for a while like a complex maze in a coloring book, they were determined to not lose hope.

After a few minutes for the storm to die out, the hamster and the bird came to after becoming victims to the storm. When they sat back up and cleared their eyes, the two rubbed at their heads. Gee… what happened?

"Hey, I'm supposed to say that." Geo spat.

Sorry.

Walt skeptically glanced at the sky. "Alright now, who pissed _who_ off? Really?" He crossed his wings. "I can't believe that just happened."

"Never saw this coming, so yeah, same here." Geo looked over to Walt. "But hey, at least we can still get back up and mingle around!"

"Yeah, you're right about that." Walt looked all around himself, checking his surroundings. "But, where the heck are we? Still in the forest?"

Geo sighed. "It would appear so." He looked down. "What are we going to do?"

Walt's eyes slanted halfway shut. "Hmm…"

They have yet to realize it, but they were at least less than a mile apart from Charles and Cliff. They were worried that they could be further away than that. Heck, they don't even know where to begin. If they really wanted to, they could just stay put and let the dog and the cat do the searching. In all seriousness, it wasn't a bad idea since it's not a time-wasting plan for Walt at least.

He shrugged. "I have no idea, Ham." He raised an eyebrow not long after. "Maybe we can just sit here and wait for the mutt and the puss to come find us?" Geo's head slanted a bit. He had to think to himself for a bit. It might work, but then again it might not. Unable to come up with another plan, the hamster had no choice but to work with what the bird got.

"Sure, I guess." he responded, crossing his arms. "But who knows where the dog and the cat is? They're probably miles away from us at this point."

"Come on, Ham." Walt lifted the hamster up off his feet. "Let's not underestimate him, okay?" He backed up. "If anything, he'll probably track us down with that cold nose of his or something."

Charles sniffed at the ground, trying to find the bird and the hamster. Picking up the scent, he closed his eyes halfway and veered over to his right. He was a teacher for Lana one time as he remembered giving her lessons on how to spot different smells in the outside world. He had to be confident about finding his two missing pals. He's known them for years, so it couldn't be that tough for him to track down.

Cliff walked to his side, wondering what he was doing. "Hey dawg, whatcha doin'?" he asked.

"I've got ta find Ham 'n dat bird," Charles faced the cat. "I just hafta."

"But, doan ya tink it's gettin' late?" Cliff sincerely questioned. "Dere ain't no way yer gonna find dem at dis hour."

Charles placed a paw on Cliff. "But cat, it's a dangerous world out dere!" He put it back down on the ground. "What kinda pals are we if we just sit back 'n let whatevuh untinkable events happen ta dem? 'N ya know what? Dat ain't who I am. We ain't restin' until we know fer sure dat Ham 'n da bird is okay!" He then put his finger on the cat's nose. "Now help me sniff 'em out, why don'tcha?"

Cliff jumped a bit. "What? Are ya crazy?" He pointed at his nose. "Cats like me, do not sniff! We ain't dawgs like ya, sniffin' everybody, draggin' butts across da ground, 'n puttin yer slobberin' mouths on anythin' ya'll can get it on!"

The dog rolled his eyes in a liverish way. "Yeah dey do! I ain't got time fer anothuh conversation about dis junk. Just do it!" He returned to his sniffing.

After watching him track down the two animals for a bit, Cliff just followed him from behind. "I ain't doin' jack." he angrily mumbled to himself.

Back over to Geo and Walt, the former stood around, looking around to spot if anything could be a threat to them. So far, he was going good. Not a single person or a non-sapient animal in sight. Geo let out a sigh as he was in relief. "I'm surprised nothing's out there coming out to get us." He smiled.

Walt flew towards the hamster. "You said it." He yawned. "Boy, I'm tired." He sat down next to his little companion. "I really hope they'll be able to find us out here soon."

"I couldn't agree more, bird." Geo said, as he glanced around one more time. He let out a yawn before his lips smacked twice. "We just gotta believe in them. I'm sure they'll be able to pull through somehow."

Walt sighed quietly. "Yeah. Me too."

And with that, their eyes closed shut for the two and snoozed their time away. If they're lucky yet confident enough that nothing would be hunting them down, they may just be able to pull through to the very next break of dawn.

Meanwhile, Charles still made his attempt to track the two missing pets down. Cliff wanted to believe they were getting closer to them with every little step they took, but with barely any progress, he just couldn't. Some bit of luck would bestow upon the sniffing pooch as he started to pick up a scent from the bird.

Lifting his head up, Charles uttered "I've got somethin'!" He turned to Cliff as his tail wagged around. "Ya smell dat? We're gettin' closer!"

Cliff inhaled for a moment. He couldn't make out what the dog was deciphering thanks to the stench of wet mud overpowering his big nostrils. "I doan unduhstand what yer sayin' dere, dawg." He wafted the air as Charles' tail froze. "All I'm gettin' is dat mud we're walkin past. But, fer a while, I thought it was somethin' else, and I know a filthy species dat likes ta roll around in dat stuff."

A beat of silence took place. After a quick glance towards the reader and back to the cat, Charles spat in angry words "Shuddup." Before the dog even put his nose back to work again, there was some sounds in the distance. Charles and Cliff's ears perked up as they listened to it. "What's dat sound?" After doing so for a while, they came to the realization that it was some crying. As the dog's eyebrow raised a hair, it sounded like it came in such a close proximity to the two animals. Out of curiosity, he followed the source.

Cliff lifted his paws up. "Hey, where ya goin'?!" He pointed to where the hound was headed before. "Ain't it dat way ta our pals?"

Charles looked back ot the confused feline. "I can't believe I'm goin' against my judgement but dey'll hafta wait dis out a bit! C'mon!"

Cliff rolled his eyes in annoyance before he followed the dog once again to wherever he went. The two were getting more down as the sounds of sobbing grew more present. That almost felt bad, and they haven't even found out who was making that noise. "Well, I can already tell, someone's out dere somewhere."

"Eeyup." Charles quietly uttered.

They were just a few yards away from the source, until they finally noticed that they had a huge discernment. Looking to their right, their eyes got a gaze full of a young toddler sitting in solitude next to a leafless tree. She appeared to be under the age of four years old, and her clothes were all wrinkled. She looked like she'd been lost for days on end. Just watching her run her waterworks had the two pets worried about her. Their sympathy peaked immensely as they sadly gave a glance towards one another.

"Oh no…" the dog uttered.

"But… how'd dis even happen?" Cliff had his ears droop a bit.

There wasn't even a chance at lifting their own spirits up after gazing upon a poor kid. She had nowhere to go, and nothing to comfort her. It's almost as if the pets thought they had abandoned her on purpose for some irredeemable reason. The child noticed the two pets sadly looking at her. She'd never seen a cat or a dog before, especially those two types of breed. The dog looked a little frightening to her, given his appearance. She whined in fear that they were thinking of doing something. Really, they felt bad. She sniffled as she crawled away from the two animals.

Feeling bad for her, Charles slowly walked towards the child. "Doan cry kid, I won't hurt ya." he softly barked. In hopes to comfort her, he gave a nuzzle on her arm. He didn't even want to sniff at her, mostly because it wasn't important right now. She only needed one thing, and he'd be darned if he'd never gave it to her.

The child's heart raced for a small moment. She didn't know what was going on. It's like she'd never come across a good dog like Charles before. With the whining pup by her side, she nervously retaliated with a hug. She sniffled as she did to the best of her ability to pull herself together. The protective pupper held her in his arms in response. As Cliff joined in on the comfort with his sympathetic purr, she spoke but one word.

"D-daddy…"

"Aw, ya poor ting." Cliff meowed sympathetically. His puppy eyes ensued as he kept clinging on to the defenseless toddler. "We'll stand by ya fer da rest of da night if we hafta." He snoozed at her feet.

Of course, the pets would devote part of their lives to prove their loyalty for people. It's not everyday that someone would find a missing, defenseless child out in the complete open surrounded by wild animals who probably don't even give a flying fur about them. She was lucky enough that there were two animals by her side after being stranded without any hope. All in all, the toddler herself did learn a little something about life in general; things wouldn't be as scary if she's surrounded by those who care about her. Hopefully, she'll get her reunion as soon as she can.

The Next Day

Finally, at the break of dawn, Geo yawned as his eyes slowly opened back up. With two smacks of his lips, he glanced to his right. "Morning, bird." But he wasn't there. Geo's heart dropped upon realization. Hyperventilating, he looked all around as quickly as he could. "Aah! Where'd you go?!"

He looked up to find the bird pecking at a hole in the same tree they slept under. Something caught his attention as he kept inserting his beak into the hole. Were there any worms in there he can eat?

"Come out of there, you dirty worm." he said. "I'm gonna get you whether you like it or not!"

The hamster had to call out to the bird. "Hey, what are you doing up there?"

Walt pulled his beak out. "I'm trying to get me some breakfast," He looked back inside the hole. "But these darn worms just want to keep hiding in here." When he stuck his tongue inside, he felt a pinch. As he pulled out, he would come to find a stray spider. "Aow! Ouchy ouchy ouch!" The hamster gasped in shock.

When Walt swung the spider off, he started to caress his tongue. Thankfully for him, it's bite wasn't poisonous. But for now, his tongue had two holes. He growled to himself for the unexpected attack, but no matter. Time would heal his wounds soon enough.

"What happened?" Geo's concern peaked. "Are you okay?"

After the bird licked his teeth, he uttered "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Geo started to hear sounds of rustling coming from the bushes surrounding him. Knowing how he's afraid of being by his lonesome, there could be something out there. Were they trying to wait for their perfect moment to strike the defenseless hamster? Was there another human being lost in the woods? Who knows?

"H-hello? ...Who's out t-there?" Geo whimpered. Noting how frequent and paced the rustling became, maybe it wasn't another animal out there. Nevertheless, the hamster was still worried. "Just don't hurt me… okay?"

Walt flew next to his brown companion. "Alright, c'mon! Show yourself! No holding back!"

And with that, a leg emerged from the trees. Geo and Walt's eyes widened as they saw something they never thought they needed to expect; a human being. His excessive amount of worry had him shivering. He was desperate to find someone that was also lost in the woods, and that just happened to be his young daughter.

"Cherry?" the man cried out. "Oh Cherry? Where are you?"

Geo and Walt stood around. Neither one of them was sure on what to do for the man. For a quick moment, they wondered if he could help find Charles and Cliff as well while his search for his daughter continued. There'd be a chance that he wouldn't for them, but heck, it couldn't hurt to give it a shot.

Walt landed on the man's shoulder before he took notice. He glanced to him as he had him wondering why. "Oh!" He flinched. "Hi there, little fella."

The bird tried his best to keep the man sane. They needed someone's help as much as he needed his. As the man rubbed his head in concern, he nervously kept muttering on about his missing child. Hyperventilation ensued in the fearful man. "Oh god, what am I going to do?" He clenched his fists as he began quivering. "What kind of parent am I to let this happen to me? I'll be devastated! What if she's taken away by a crazy hoodlum? What if she'll perish out there by her lonesome?" Lastly, he fell to his knees, causing Walt to fly again. "I just can't bear the sight of that!"

His heart was pounding at an immense rate. He almost started to cry as he shamelessly glanced down on the fallen orange leaves. On one hand, Geo was on high concern about the man's situation. On the other hand, Walt wasn't sure what to do for him. Tilting his head, Geo uttered his suggestion as Walt flew to him.

"Maybe we should help the dude out?" Geo sadly shrugged.

"Huh?" Walt grew confused. "But why though?"

"Were you listening to anything he said?" Geo placed a paw on the bird's back. "That dude's got a missing kid out there somewhere, possibly a chance that he'll never see his precious little bean ever again!" His ears shifted acutely. "Isn't that one of the saddest things you've ever heard?"

Walt's eyes shifted halfway shut. "But then again, who's to say that this isn't some kind of trap he's trying to pull?"

Geo paused for a beat before his arms crossed. "You were on his shoulders a second ago…"

"Oh whatever!" The bird rolled his eyes. "Aside from what I've said that you can't trust anyone, if you're pretty sure that his predicament is a reality, then at least let him know that we need his help finding the dumb mutt and that crazy pussycat!"

Geo thought about it for a moment. As he took a quick glance to the paranoid father figure and back to Walt, he was able to draw out a small smile. "Sure, let's try it out."

And with that, the bird flew in front of the man's face as Geo walked to him from between his legs before he looked up. He tweeted to him for his attention, as he asked him for a simple request in their endeavor.

"Hey, excuse us sir. We've lost some of our friends here." he tweeted. The man gave off a confused expression as he stared at the bird.

"Would you mind… letting us follow you around?" Geo curiously squeaked. Walt landed next to him before they simultaneously joined their paws and wings together as they used some puppy eyes at the man, hoping he'll give in. "Pleeeease?"

The man looked sideways before he looked down at the two pets. Thinking they'd be good for his young daughter to play with, he picked both of them up and set then in an open pouch pocket in his jacket. After a soft pat, he continued walking aimlessly. The man now had two new companions in his party, now joining in on the search for Cherry. When a fist bump ensued for them, Geo and Walt just left it at that. It wasn't the time for them to take it any further.

"Ah dang it, I could've just flown up in the sky and see where they were!" Walt angrily mumbled to himself before he looked to Geo. "But then again, I can't leave you behind."

So with that out of their way, their desperate search for Charles, Cliff, and his little daughter continued. Only hope and time would tell if paths would cross them again.

Back with Charles and Cliff, the former was in the process of teaching the young child a little something that's important in the beginning of her life. The lecture in question, was learning how to bond and get to know one another. Cherry placed a palm on the dog's head as he motioned himself to make it look like he's being petted. He playfully panted to himself before lifting his head back up to the child.

"That's how yer supposed ta pet us." Charles calmly barked as Cliff sat back and observed them. Cherry couldn't help but giggle. Her education on animals got a slight boost. It was almost like taking notes, but in physical form. She grew more comfortable after she stood there, letting this all happen. The dog later approached her face for another note. "And dis is how we show our love." He licked her face, leaving a trail of saliva.

Cliff purred on the other side. "Dis is also a way of sayin' I like ya." His noisemaking ticked the child. "Doan worry kid, yer okay in my book."

"How ironic of ya." Charles glanced to the feline. "Ya doan read worth nothin' as far as I know."

Cliff glared back at the smart pooch. "And by 'as far as I know', ya doan know what da heck I do. Besides what does dat hafta do wit' antythin'?"

Charles gave a growl to the cat. Inadvertently, this scared the defenseless Cherry as well. As she curled up into a ball, she whimpered and quivered in place. Taking note of that, the hound whined to her as he showed his soul-filled eyes. The child smiled again as she gave him another hug. Love was at an immense value that Charles couldn't help himself wagging his tail. His sole purpose was to make people happy, especially towards children.

"Dat's what I thought." Cliff concluded with a smirk on his face. "Now c'mon, don'tcha tink it's time fer us ta find dis here kid's… fathuh, and dat bird and Ham?"

Charles quickly passed his tongue onto Cherry's face once more. "Oh yeah." He petted her on the head, influencing a giggle to be drawn out. "Right aftuh I play with dis kid here some more!"

Cliff sighed. "Dawg, we hafta git a move on!"

"But I haven't gotten ta da sniffin' part of da lesson yet!" Charles looked down before he turned to the innocent kid. "Well, I guess I won't git ta remember ya bettuh..." He began walking off. "C'mon kid, let's getcha reunited with yer family. It's da least we could do fer ya."

Heading down northeast, the party of three headed towards some more trees into the horizon in front of them. As they began travelling once again, Charles put his wet nose to work. Deciphering all the smells, there wasn't a stench that would lead them to Geo or Walt. The dog glanced to Cherry, "Ya see kid," He pointed at his nose. "Us dogs use our noses ta sniff fer a load of tings, such as clues, people, and more importantly, food!"

Cliff felt that the dog left out an important factor. "As fer da people part, ya doan wanna know where he has ta sniff ya just so he can remembuh ya." he informatively meowed.

Charles resumed drawing air through his nose. With little to no progress, there weren't any leads as to where Geo and Walt could be. As he sniffed in that forest air, he along with Cliff barely heard somebody faintly calling out a name. To add in some convienence, he also got a scent from the bird.

"Cherry? ...Cherry?"

The white tyke let out a gasp of excitement. "Oh boy! I've got a scent!" He turned to his neutral grimalkin pal. "Smell dat? Dey must be up ahead."

"And ya just said dat last night." Cliff had to remind him.

Charles chuckled. "Whatevuh. Let's just keep following dat sound! Dey ain't dat far off." Charles' sniffing switched to hearing for the father's calls. With every step they took, the voice grew more audible to them. The father was only less than a half a mile away from the party. It wasn't that hard for them to search from this point.

"Cherry? Are you out there still? Daddy's right here!"

The toddler spoke but one word. "Daddy…?" she barely said. Charles barked loudly, hoping it would grab the father's attention. Luckily for the pup, it did. The bird and the hamster grew pleasantly surprised as they heard the dog again after a while. They gave off a heartfelt smile as their gaze got an eyefull of the determined pup walking right towards the man.

"Daddy...!" Cherry ran to her father's arms.

"Oh, my baby!" The father tearfully responded. To his surprise, he was in great relief that his daughter was unscathed after a horrifying night apart from each other. She shed tears on his clothing as Geo sniffled. It was a beautiful father-daughter moment he'd like to cherish. It's almost like this meant something to him in a positive environment. Saltwater filled the dog's eyes as well before he wiped them away. At least now he's did his job protecting someone and returning her to her rightful parent. "Thank goodness, you're safe with me again."

The man looked to the heroes of the day. He figured now would be the perfect time to give them a well deserved compliment. "Thank you guys so much… for taking care of my little girl."

Geo and Walt hopped out of the man's pocket. Now it was their turn. "And thank you, for finding our pals." The bird tweeted, getting petted by the feline.

"This wouldn't have been possible without you." Geo happily squeaked as he gave a smile. The man crouched down to pet Charles and Cliff. If he had any food on him, he'd give it to them on the spot. But instead, he wanted to do something nice in return. In all seriousness, they did help find his daughter and kept her safe from harm's way.

They didn't even realize it, but some good progress was made on their journey. They were almost fifty miles away from Royal Woods as they spoke. With a heartfelt hug, the pets snuggled up on each other. Cherry smiled as she took this moment to her heart for rememberance for a long time.

"Good doggy..." She uttered, before Charles and the others happily faced the toddler. They all waved to her goodbye before the canine walked up to her for one more hug. "Time fer me ta go kid," Charles happily barked. "Doan forget about me, will ya?" Cliff offered to shake the man's hand as he gladly accepted. With everything taken care of, and both parties reunited, the four pets continued their journey back home, walking off to the horizon once again.

Cherry looked down. Sadness overcame her that she might not be able to see Charles or Cliff again. They were like two stuffed animals that came to like for her. She learned a lot from them and was immensely devastated to see them go. With tears filling her eyes, she began to fight them off. Her father began to feel bad for her daughter. Maybe one day, he'll get her a pet one day to beat her sadness.

But wait, he had an idea. Wanting to keep her daughter happy, he called out to the animals once more. "Hey!" Charles, Cliff, Geo, and Walt looked back to the depressed duo. Curiousity sparked for each and every one. "If you guys are hungry, I can take you to my house and I'll get you something I'm sure all of you will enjoy."

With a glance towards one another, the pets unanimously gave the man a nod. They were game for having something to munch on after a certain animal had to snatch something away from them. That decision had the child smiling again as her tears stopped streaming down her face. As the two walked to their house several yards away, the pets inevitably followed them both. And with that, Cherry couldn't help but let out a joyful laugh. The pets getting something to eat and a kid getting to spend more time with house pets? What a _purrfect_ win-win situation.

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**A/N: And thus concludes the 7th chapter. I'd figure I'd do a little heartfelt chapter for once after a while now. To be honest, who doesn't? Am I right? Anyway, the first thing to expect in the next chapter is an update from the Loud family. Will Lana try to cope and take her mind off her pets for a bit and unwind for a bit, or will she still cling on and spend the rest of the trip worrying about them? Only time will tell once I see you **guys** next time!**


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